Over 4700m2 of Gerflor high performance sports and safety floorings have been installed at Marr College, Scotland. The client required an Olympic pedigree sports floor for their main sports hall to serve a multitude of uses – Taraflex® was the chosen innovation. Alongside this a trusted and high-quality safety flooring was required for corridors, receptions, classrooms, and other back of house areas to ensure the safety of pupils, staff, and on-site visitors. Tarasafe Ultra was the natural choice. The client is absolutely delighted with the final interior which looks absolutely stunning and is fit for purpose for the various needs of the education establishment.
Marr College is a co-educational state school situated in the southwest coast of Scotland in the town of Troon. Originally designed for 400 pupils, the roll was to rise to 1500 in the 1970s as the town and school catchment grew. The school was extended and gave up its semi-independent grant-aided status to come under the direct control of the local Education Authority although, unusually, the buildings remain the property of its Board of Governors. The Grade B listed Marr College has had an extensive £28 million pound refurbishment with a new extension building also added.
When Marr College implemented their massive refurbishment programme it included an overhaul of the school’s corridors and classroom floors, together with a new sports floor for their main hall. It would be a huge project that would require some 4700m2 of replacement flooring. Demanding the highest standards of quality, the college turned to international flooring specialist Gerflor to supply their world class Taraflex® Evolution vinyl sports flooring for the school’s sports hall and their Tarasafe Ultra safety flooring that would provide the ideal solution for the vast areas of classrooms, reception areas, back of house applications and corridors.
Sport and exercise now play an ever-increasing role in most educational curricula. Marr College are no different in this respect and the need to refurbish their sports hall with new ‘fit for purpose’ sports flooring was seen as a priority. It’s an ‘arena’ where Gerflor really understand the diverse needs of educational sports flooring requirements.
Steven Lees, Gerflor Area Sales Manager, Scotland said, “Our Taraflex Evolution sports flooring was the natural choice for the college when it came to their sports hall. The college sports hall is used extensively for a host of different activities. It’s an environment that’s perfect for Taraflex as it delivers outstanding performance and high levels of safety, protection and comfort for pupils and staff.”
Taraflex® is available in 17 colours and four wood-effect designs. The improved Evolution product is now even safer, better performing and offers even more protection than before.
The greater protection has been obtained thanks to a total re-engineering of the CXP-HD™ foam technology that provides cushioning for exercise and sports play. Gerflor’s Taraflex® Evolution continues to be the market benchmark in sports floors with outstanding durability, improved comfort and protection offering a P1 category shock absorbency (25% to 35%) and a new 7.5mm thickness. The product is treated with Protecsol®, which renders polish redundant and is triple action so no polish is ever required, it contributes to easy maintenance and is anti-friction burn and slide/grip solution.
Taraflex® Evolution from Gerflor is also ideal for renovation works and is available with the Dry-Tex™ System perfect for new construction or refurbishment projects with damp subfloors. Taraflex® has been used by the largest international sports federations for decades. Through partnerships with these federations, Gerflor has been present at the Summer Olympic Games since 1976. Over 6 million children everyday enjoy the benefits of Taraflex® sports flooring.
Gerflor has honed their expertise in safety flooring to produce the highest standards of safety and durability, coupled to delivering stunning, beautiful designs that are both inspirational and eye-catching. Tarasafe Ultra from Gerflor is a perfect fit for a host of education applications where safety is paramount, together with providing the specifier with the crucial element of being able to ‘future-proof ‘the project.
Nav Dhillon, Marketing Manager for Gerflor commented, “When it comes to safety flooring the need to provide high levels of slip resistance for the school environment is a crucial aspect of the floor’s performance. Being able to protect pupils and staff from slips and falls as they move around is hugely important.”
Tarasafe Ultra is a specialist slip-resistant vinyl safety flooring inlaid with mineral crystals particles, as opposed to carborundum giving a brighter appearance. It also comes with a tough PVC wearlayer and meets HSE guidelines. Tarasafe Ultra is reinforced with a glass fibre grid and is suitable for use in all areas of heavy traffic where slip-resistance, durability and hygienic conditions are required. Tarasafe Ultra comes with a 12-year warranty and is also 100% recyclable. The range has a maximum hygiene rating meeting the EN Standard 22196 for anti- bacterial activity (E. coli – S. aureus – MRSA) (3) returning >99% levels of growth inhibition.
Steven Lees concluded by saying, “The install at Marr College went extremely smoothly. We are absolutely delighted that both our pedigree Taraflex sports flooring and our Tarasafe Ultra safety flooring have been specified for this project. Our solutions are performing exceptionally well. It’s also been an extremely rewarding project to work on and a great bonus to know that the client is enormously happy with the final outcome.”
Learn more about Gerflor solutions, ask for a free sample or contact us to speak to a specialist today by calling 03332 412901, emailing contractuk@gerflor.com, or visiting gerflor.co.uk for the latest innovations.