In January 2014, the University of Huddersfield opened Student Central, a £22.5m development which brought together the University’s support services, access to the library, computing facilities, sport and leisure, together with a range of eating and social spaces all under one roof.
Today, student numbers have reached over 24,000 and students from over 130 countries are represented on campus. And like most red brick universities the sports and leisure facilities feature very heavily in student life.
These sports areas take a hammering and needed to be both resilient and functional. The Gerflor brief had to offer a suitable solution for an ‘under rig’ flooring area which was positioned directly underneath the sports centres ‘Technogym Omnia’ system.
Chosen for its comfort and safety performance properties Taraflex Sport M Evolution (7mm) in Anthracite, Gold and Beige would be the specified product.
Laurie Nettleton, Sport and Leisure Centre Manager commented: "Gerflor recently installed a bespoke flooring solution at our Sports Centre in order to provide protection underneath the functional rig. The floor was fitted in less than 5 hours and the team were efficient, friendly and professional."
Taraflex has been used in every summer Olympics since 1976 and is available in 17 colours and two wood-effect designs. The Sport M Evolution product offers a P1 category shock absorbency 25% to 35% and meets the EN 14904 Standard for indoor sports surfaces. Taraflex is also recognised for providing durability, safety and comfort without impairing performance. The range offers greater than 45% force reduction, making it unrivalled in the marketplace in terms of offering comfort for users.
Laurie Nettleton further commented: "Members of the gym have been very impressed with the Taraflex floor and have welcomed the flexibility that it provides."
At this recent project Gerflor were also able to utilise their bespoke water cutting, HD printing and line marking service. Laurie Nettleton added: "Team Hud sports staff are also impressed and find the markings helpful when delivering functional training classes. I personally love the solution, so much so that we are planning to expand the flooring into other areas within our new Fitness Suite."
Taraflex meets the EN Standard of 22196 for anti- bacterial activity (E. coli - S. aureus - MRSA) (3) returning >99% levels of growth inhibition. The product is also treated with Protecsol, which renders polish redundant.
Taraflex has a double density foam backing and as another bonus, it’s environmentally friendly.
