UK’s first Robbins anchored timber floating floor

KENT UNIVERSITY’S NEW COURT HAS STAR APPEAL

TVS GROUP INSTALLS UK’S FIRST ROBBINS ANCHORED TIMBER FLOATING FLOOR

Author and photos TVS Group, Haslingden, Lancashire, UK. www.tvs-group.co.uk

Students at the University of Kent can now practice and play on one of the world’s finest basketball courts – just like the stars of America’s hugely popular NBA League. Lesson learned!

Kent is the first university in the UK to have a MFMA PUR-certified and EN14904-compliant Robbins Sports Surfaces solid maple wood floor. UK-based partner TVS Group took care of the installation. Robbins Sports Surfaces is well known across North America. Founded in 1894, it is a preferred supplier of competition and training surfaces to a significant number of leading teams in the billion-dollar National Basketball Association (NBA). Of the last 27 NBA Championships contested, 22 were won by teams who play and / or train on Robbins Sports Surfaces courts.

The TVS Group / Robbins partnership was chosen after an exhaustive evaluation by the University of Kent with quality, longevity and performance being major factors in the final decision along with the need to meet stringent international and UK sports standards. For example, the new Robbins court in Canterbury is expected to last between 50-75 years! The long-term benefits also include the active reduction of injuries and player fatigue through the Robbins maximum vibration protection (MVP) patented system.

“After around two decades of use as a multi-sport facility, the university’s old court was badly in need of an upgrade,” explained TVS’ sports surfacing specialist Jason Lewis-Lamb. “A survey revealed significant issues with the sub-floor which had caused failures in the existing floor and needed to be rectified.”

Maple wood flooring from sustainable sources Before installation work could commence TVS Group had to remove the well-worn sprung parquet timber floor which was showing significant cracking and movement.

What they found beneath was an unstable and uneven substructure which needed to be repaired and levelled with a new concrete screed. The new base was left for several weeks to dry out completely before being retested. To ensure that the new maple wood floor would not be subject to any future damp issues, a moisture-proof membrane was laid on top of the screed.

In the meantime, timber for the project had already arrived from Robbins Sports Surfaces in the United States and had been left to acclimatise to the site conditions. The American company only selects its maple from sustainable sources and during manufacture aims to maximise the use of raw materials to reduce impact on the environment. The US grows six times more hardwoods than are harvested each year.

In the next stage, base panels were laid out, leaving room for expansion both between the panels and around the perimeter edges, before being mechanically fixed to the subfloor. To these panels TVS added 9 mm hardwood plywood installed at a 45-degree angle. Mechanically fixed and glued, they add strength and stability to the construction.

Customized look Finally, using a hidden nail technique, it was time for the maple boards to be installed from the centre of the court outwards to ensure that they lined up with the game lines. Once cleaned, sanded to a smooth finish, cleaned again and eventually sealed with a water-based sealant, TVS was able to apply the individual court markings. A custom graphic - “University of Kent” - was added before two final coats of hardwearing sports grade lacquer were applied, and edge details, skirting boards and door trims provided to complete the finishing touches. The sub-structure work and the new flooring installation was completed by TVS Group within six working weeks.

In addition to basketball, TVS Group also ensured that specific markings were added for netball and badminton to ensure that the new court could continue to be used as a multi-sport facility.

Performance, safety and comfort for years to come The MVP (Maximum Vibration Protection) floor installed at the University of Kent campus is not only striking to look at, it is one of the most innovative on the market, delivering levels of performance, safety and comfort which are to the very highest standards. Robbins’ MVP design optimises biomechanical interaction between athlete and floor in several significant ways. Firstly, it minimises vibration, secondly it provides uniformity of performance and thirdly it helps to reduce player fatigue and injury.

With Kent University’s new court, every dribble will feel the same, every ball will rebound and sound the same. Players can expect to get maximum and consistent support and safety from the new surface for years to come.