The contribution of the school environment to a child’s development with daily physical activity through sport and physical education (PE) cannot be ignored.
The role that sport now plays in the ‘Academies’ environment is proving to be a fundamental building block in the overall pupil’s experience.
Atlantic Academy’s brand-new building at Bucks Cross in North Devon finally opened its doors in September 2018. As part of the overall curriculum Atlantic Academy aim for all students to excel, both in lessons and through extra-curricular activities which includes a huge focus on sport and fitness.
In specifying the new facilities, the team at the main construction firm Willmott Dixon recommended sports flooring that would not only be of the highest quality, but would also be suitable for multiple uses, would be fit for purpose and deliver a future proof solution which is so vital in the education sector.
It would be a challenge well-met by international flooring specialist Gerflor supplying 621m2of their world-renowned Taraflex® Comfort sports flooring in Blue for the sports hall and 582m2 Multi-Use sports flooring in Wood Grey for the performance space.
Specifying Gerflor’s Taraflex® was the ideal choice in terms of delivering a speedy installation, together with providing high-end sports performance that the successful school basketball team required as well as the required safety and comfort for players.
The Construction Manager Michael Mackey from Willmott Dixon commented: “This was a Scape 3 Project which we tendered for back in 2012. The tog value of the cushioned vinyl sports flooring needed to be a certain rating in order to achieve the output performance specification for the underfloor heating.
"The Gerflor chosen sports floorings are performing really well and delivering exactly the results we wanted.”
The Taraflex® ranges have been used by the largest international sports federations (volleyball, handball, badminton, table tennis) for decades. Through partnerships with these federations Gerflor has been present at the Summer Olympic Games since 1976. It’s an Olympic pedigree stretching back over an incredible 43 years.
Taraflex® sports floorings are not only associated with international sporting events but continue to be a popular choice in a vast array of education markets and applications. Gerflor understands how important it is to future proof school, college and other learning building interiors, therefore their solutions offer optimum safety, comfort, performance and are competitively priced to meet the needs of most education budgets.
Taraflex Comfort is a P3 category sports flooring, ideal for a variety of sport and leisure activities. Offering the highest level of shock absorption, minimising the force of impact on the body and reducing long term injury risk. Taraflex Comfort is available in 17 colours and three wood-effect designs as standard.
Taraflex Multi-use is a P1 category sports flooring designed with both sport and non-sport use in mind, making it ideal for multi-purpose areas including school halls. It protects players with excellent shock absorption and impact protection. Yet it’s tough enough to protect itself against non-sport demands often found in schools such as tables and chairs.
Taraflex Multi-use being available in 5 wood-effect and 2 concrete-effect designs. Both products are available in an extra 110 solid colour options with a 500sqm minimum order quantity.
The products are also treated with Protecsol®, which renders polish redundant and is triple action meaning no polish is ever required, it contributes to easy maintenance and is anti-friction burn and slide/grip.