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Flooring: Five star flooring
As we wrap up 2021, flooring suppliers share their most exciting projects and launches from the past year
When the founders of new studio brand, Rise (R1SE), set out to bring a London-style boutique experience to England’s south coast, they knew they needed a premium fit-out.
Channelling their backgrounds in nightclubs and hospitality, the team created an attention-grabbing combination of lighting, music and design that was unique to the Bournemouth marketplace – then approached Physical Company and Technogym for a fit-out to match the high expectations already being set by the new brand.
Physical Company was appointed specifically as the flooring expert and handed a brief to install functional, easy-to-maintain flooring that also addressed noise concerns: it was important that activities in the small, high-end upstairs gym didn’t drown out the ground floor café and studio space.
The solution was to first install a layer of rubber shock pad across the weights and functional training areas. On top of this came sound- and shock-absorbing Ecore smash tiles in the weights area and in the functional zone, a 1.5m x 11m area of custom turf with the company logo fully woven in.
Additionally, four Ziva landing pads – heavy-duty portable pads designed to absorb the impact of weights dropped from a height – provide additional protection that can be moved around the gym as required, including for slam ball training.
The gym’s cardio zone features 8mm Everlast flooring, as does the downstairs studio, where it provides a durable foundation for HIIT training.
“Rise Bournemouth opened in the summer of 2021, making a bold entry into a market that hadn’t yet seen anything like it,” says Physical Company account manager Paul Farrell. “It has already been very successful and we look forward to partnering with the team as they roll out their model across the south coast.”
Earlier this year, TVS Group was approached to source, supply and install a range of floor finishes and acoustic solutions for a gym in a new build-to-rent residential site in Manchester’s Chapel Wharf.
In the area designated for weightlifting, TVS installed its heavy-duty impact-resistant Sportec Style Tiles, offering protection to the concrete sub-base and a reduction in potential structure-borne noise, often associated with weightlifting activities.
In the stylish cycling studio, the company supplied a polished, concrete-effect vinyl floor with a high resistance to static and rolling loads. The surface is ideal for environments where fitness equipment is regularly relocated and repositioned before and after use.
Comfort and user safety were prioritised in the stretching area, where a P2 category sports floor was fitted with a high level of shock absorbency and anti-bacterial properties. To further reduce structure-borne and footfall noise on the first-floor level, TVS also installed a high-performance acoustic underlay beneath a decorative wood-effect vinyl floor covering.
Finally, at ground floor level, Sportec Color-15 sheet rubber was selected and installed and line markings applied to match with the various training zones and equipment. A sled track was also integrated within the gym space.
Castle Royal Golf and Country Club in Maidenhead relied on Pavigym to carry out the refurbishment of its health club.
The cardio area was covered with Pavigym Endurance, guaranteeing durability and the best aesthetics. Markings were included in the flooring to create a group training space while facilitating the distribution of users – important in times of social distancing. Another solution, Pavigym Extreme S&S, was chosen for the free weights area.
This product, a blend of virgin and recycled rubber, not only provides maximum protection against impact from dropped weights, it also reduces noise and vibrations in high-impact areas.
Finally, the club needed a small functional area, which we brought to life with Pavigym Turf, a comfortable and real-looking artificial turf. Suitable for use both outdoors and indoors, and also available with training marks, its density ensures maximum grip and resistance to all types of functional and strength exercises.
With these solutions, the Castle Royal Golf and Country Club now has a personality of its own and is perfectly adapted to the needs of its users. www.pavigym.com
Paradoxically, one of the facilities that Paviflex is most proud of in 2021 is Skydive Dubai, where they don’t work on the ground, but in the sky.
Paviflex installed a large multifunctional surface with their corporate design where everybody can practice the exercises on land and group activities can take place.
Manuel Martínez, Paviflex executive manager said: “Making the client’s idea a reality, no matter if it seems impossible, is what makes us different from other companies.”
“The difficulty of the project was capturing the visual graphic identity on a ‘puzzle interlocked’ surface with the combination of seven colors of our Premium floor tiles,” he says. “The preparation, organisation and installation of each piece was undoubtedly the most laborious part of the job, but the final result rewarded all the effort.”
