The John Smith's Stadium in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire is a state-of-the-art sports, leisure and commercial complex.
Back in 1991 a partnership was formed between Kirklees Metropolitan Council, Huddersfield Town FC and Huddersfield Rugby League Club to create a complex which would be a versatile sports, entertainment and hospitality facility.
At a cost of almost £40 million the stadium is rapidly becoming known as one of the major leisure destinations in the north of England.
When the stadium needed to refurbish two key sports areas and a functional visitor’s space they turned to the leading indoor sports synthetic flooring manufacturer Gerflor for the solution. A high-end stadium would need a world class manufacturer with products to match.
The requirements that would be needed for the group class space, a functional area and a weights training area would be a perfect fit for Gerflor's Taraflex Sport M Evolution GTI Uni sports flooring products. The gym and recreational space at John Smiths Stadium would need a total of some 320m2 in total.
The client Kirklees Active, would as part of the project, specify Taraflex Sport M Evolution in anthracite and GTI Uni in grey to compliment the surrounding areas.
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.
The flooring contractor for the project, Jed Hill from Recreational Coatings commented: "I’ve worked with Gerflor flooring products many times and always find them very easy to use."
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.
The communal and recreational area which splits the two gyms would need a solution which could cope with both constant footfall and look great. Gerflor’s GTI Uni was chosen by the client to make this area both appealing on the eye and functional underfoot.
The smart Gerflor GTI range has a 2mm wearlayer and 6mm thickness overall and easily copes with constant footfall, bearing the heaviest static loads around the clock.
It’s one of the toughest vinyl flooring tile ranges on the market and is designed for both industrial and retail areas. GTI can also be installed in other areas where toughness is a necessity. The Gerflor GTI range is available in 16 colours offering design flexibility. There is no adhesive to apply and dry, therefore the installation can be done quickly without closing the facilities and losing business. It is reported to be at least twice as fast as glued solutions and suitable for most subfloor types – ceramics, concrete, resin and irregular surfaces.
GTI Uni is offered in seven clearly defined vibrant colours, enhancing Max Decor and Pure Decor, to create clearly defined pathways and corners, retail areas and safety zones as required. The backing is 4mm black homogenous sheet, while the surface is a 2mm coloured homogenous sheet. GTI Uni has a Wear Group standard T rating, meeting HSE anti-slip guidelines (R10) and is treated with Gerflor’s unique scratch-resistant PUR+ surface treatment, which provides easy cleaning and improved resistance to scratching, significantly delaying the need for waxing.
PUR+ surface treatment also provides excellent resistance to chemicals, allowing for easy maintenance. GTI Uni is also 100% recyclable.
Flooring contractor, Jed Hill went on to finally comment: "Gerflor have a great range of products and colours which provide really good solutions for all modern gym and recreational activities."
