PRINT  

SHARE   EMAIL  

FORBO’S ENTRANCE MATTING PUTS AVIVA STADIUM ON THE FRONT FOOT

Ireland’s newest major sporting venue, the inspiring Aviva Stadium, required a fittingly impressive entrance and exit zone aesthetic. Accommodating up to 50,000 seated spectators meant issues of safety were key to the specification process, and the entrance flooring system chosen had to perform to the highest level functionally as well as aesthetically. Fortunately, Forbo Flooring System’s extensive portfolio of entrance matting systems offered the ideal products for the job. Robust, smartly attractive and with moisture absorbing qualities for anti-slip safety, Nuway Tuftiguard was used for the entrance areas.

Replacing the previous stadium on the same 6.4-hectare Lansdowne Road site, Aviva stadium was designed to host national football and rugby matches – as well as other events, in the heart of Dublin. With such an extreme volume of traffic passing through the doors on a regular basis, the entrance and exits required an entrance matting system that would withstand intensive use.

As a joint project between the FAI (Football Association of Ireland) and IRFU (Ireland Rugby Football Union), with part government funding, architects Scott Tallon Walker in conjunction with Populous put together a performance specification brief, which was put out to tender amongst flooring contractors to submit details of products that best matched the specification.

Pat Kirwan, from Scott Tallon Walker comments: “This required a heavy duty entrance barrier matting system for both external and internal use with a construction that allows the product to be replaced and interchanged to optimise performance, whilst achieving an aesthetically pleasing appearance.”

Forbo’s Nuway engineered entrance flooring was finally approved, after being put forward by Talamat Distributors, as it exceeded all the requirements of the specification. In addition, the design team was familiar with the product and its reliable performance qualities, having used the products before on numerous commercial projects.

Andrew Scollan, Sales Executive at Talamat Distributors, said: “We have worked with Forbo Flooring Systems for more than 30 years and have no hesitation in recommending their products to our clients. In this particular instance, Nuway was an ideal fit for the project, providing a premium finish to the entrance system.”

Nuway Heavy Duty Classic entrance matting with a grey pile wiper strip and an aluminium scraper bar – to effectively scrape and retain soil and moisture - was installed in all of the internal premium entrance areas on the ground floor of the east and south stands and the third floor of the west stand, along with the players and VIP entrance areas. Furthermore, all general level turnstiles on the first floor used a Nuway Tuftiguard Plain with an unbuffed wiper strip and an aluminium scraper bar.

Forbo’s Nuway Tuftiguard engineered flooring products were ideally suited to this application, as the rigid engineered mats are able to scrape off the worst of the soil and moisture tracked in on the soles of shoes or wheeled vehicles in heavy traffic areas.

Bill Enright, Operations Manager at Aviva Stadium, states: “With the amount of people entering the stadium at any one time, safety is our number one concern. Having had Nuway Tuftiguard installed, we can now be confident that the entrance areas will effectively keep the floor surfaces clean and dry to minimise the likelihood of anyone slipping, and provide an appropriate amount of slip-resistance to prevent any hazards.”

Pat Kirwan continues: “We have always been very impressed with Forbo’s professional service and high quality performing products.”

For more information on Nuway Tuftiguard entrance systems, please visit www.forbo-flooring.co.uk

Have your say...