6<strong>12</strong> <strong>2015</strong> ¥ 6 ∂ Flooring and Surfaces Off-site floor options New school makes the running in the design stakes The Portakabin Group has expanded its flooring types for Yorkon off-site solutions, offering precision-engineered products to accommodate standard and heavy loadings as well as increased floor stiffness and enhanced acoustics. They include: a base specification using an 18 mm particle board suspended floor on steel joists, for single and multi-storey applications with standard load-bearing requirements; a more sophisticated beam construction with added points of support, increased particle board thickness of 36 mm and steel sheeting for increased floor performance and load capabilities; and the use of a plywood deck for factory-installed terrazzo tiling. Another option is the factory-installed 50 mm concrete floor, used in the health, education and commercial sectors: described as ideal for high traffic areas and to accommodate heavy point loadings and sensitive equipment, it is suited to both ground and upper floors. Finally, a site-poured concrete slab can be specified to suit floor loading and performance requirements. ¥ Yorkon United Kingdom +44 (0)845 2000 <strong>12</strong>3 www.yorkon.info A new primary school in Munich, Germany applies a modern educational concept that is reflected in the layout of the building, with four separate study groups: each group has children of different ages and forms a manageable unit with three classrooms, one or two daycare rooms, toilets and a separate roof terrace. The architects Hess Talhof Kusmierz restricted the construction materials to exposed concrete, wood and glass, thus leaving the children plenty of scope for creativity rather than overwhelming them with a dominant design. All the rooms intended for communal use are on the ground floor: the break hall, kitchen, a multi-purpose room, music, art and craft rooms and a sunken sports hall are accessible via an enclosed walkway alongside the 50 m outdoor running track, which is thermally separated from this indoor area by a high span of uninterrupted glazing. The upper storey extends over the track to provide a covered area for breaks and sports. External, single-flight staircases lead up to the study group areas. The only coloured features, apart from the sports pitch fencing and facade elements in pale pink, are the all-weather pitch itself and the running track, both with pea-green surfaces from Polytan. This fresh, bright shade was chosen in preference to the red traditionally used for school sports facilities △ it helps reflect daylight into the building and comes into its own when lit up. The company manufactures and fits a wide range of synthetic sports surfaces, ranging from shock-absorbing soft-impact surfaces and multi-functional, all-weather pitches to high-speed surfaces for international athletics events. All are said to offer low maintenance costs and high wear resistance, and are available in numerous UV-resistant standard colours. For this Munich primary school, Polytan S was specified: the two-layer, synthetic surface system consists of compressed granules with a depth of 13 mm in the case of the running track and 20 mm for the sports pitch. It is water permeable so dries quickly, and the smooth, non-slip wear layer is designed to provide for good ball bounce behaviour on the all-weather pitch and safe sprinting on the track. ¥ Polytan GmbH Germany +49 (0)8432 87 0 www.polytan.com
GRESPANIA TECHNICAL SOLUTIONS HealthyandClean CERAMICS FOR SUSTAINABLE PROJECTS SELF CLEANING AIR PURIFYING ANTI-BACTERIA AND ODOUR REMOVING WHAT is H&CTILES? H&CTILES is the ceramic application using Hydrotect® technology, reduces pollution (NOx) and provides ceramics with self-cleaning, antibacterial and odour removal properties. www.grespania.com/h&ctiles tel. +34 964 34 44 <strong>11</strong> fax +34 964 3444 01 mail@grespania.com www.grespania.com