31st January 2017
31st January 2017
January has passed in the blink of an eye and we are ploughing through the days of 2017 already. With February school half terms around the corner, there is no better time to perfect/update school grounds and play areas, ready in time for outdoors play in the spring.
So that begs the first question, what is the best resin surface to use? First of all we need to think of type of institution that is having a surface replaced/built. Is it a nursery? School? Youth sports centre? A University or college perhaps?
The second thing to consider is what is the function of the surface? Is it a footpath? Cycle path? Sports court? Perhaps it’s the entrance to the school or the playground?
The final questions are based around the performance of the surface. Does it require wheelchair access? Does it need to facilitate any falls? When it’s hot (fingers crossed) in the summer, will the paving remain cool? When will I have to replace it and will it require loads of maintenance?
All these questions and so many permeable paving surfaces to chose from. Here’s 4 options as to why resin bound paving comes up trumps and why and where the resin bound surfacing has been used:
In this particular project, resin bound paving was selected in order to give a highly cosmetic look to a nursery on an affluent road in Leeds. The resin bound suppliers in this case were us and we supplied about 350m² worth of resin bound materials to facilitate the design. The mixes chosen were Spring Haze and Oyster Pearl. They were twinned with Indian sandstone borders and entrances to create a luxurious aesthetic.
The Oyster Pearl resin colour mix was used to create a cool looking Zebra crossing for the the children and to show that the building was a nursery. Operating as a nursery, the business needed to ensure that when young children were walking in to the nursery on a morning, the fall and slip risk would be incredibly low. Resin bound gravel is highly porous, allowing water to flow through. Because the water flows through the permeable surface during the colder months, it limits puddles on the surface that are liable to freezing which causing slippages and scraped knees and elbows. During the summer months resin bound paving will not heat up as some conventional floors do. This makes it the perfect solution for any nursery.
An enclosed get-away was needed to get away from the hustle and bustle of London’s inner city surrounds. Designed with 410m² of resin bound materials, the worries of drainage routes were eliminated and design possibilities were opened. This enabled an outdoor learning space incorporated in to a footpath that would actually act as an outside hallway function for students to travel from class to class. Midnight Moon and Meadow were the resin bound gravel mixes chosen.
They will lighten the area, which had minimal sun exposure due to being shadowed by the school building. In addition to being permeable, the resin bound would reduce the risk of falling. This is due to it’s fantastic anti-skid properties. Minimal maintenance of the resin bound paving means the school can use their financial resources furthering the education.
Around 400m² worth of resin bound supplies were used to create a new tennis court for a southern school. Green aggregates were used for the main body of the area. Our Marble Crema was used for the court line markings. After deliberating on a variety of surface options, the school concluded resin bound permeable paving would be used for the tennis court. Their decision was based on the fact that students would be able to return to training and classes quickly after rainfall, as the resin bound surface is porous.
The seamless anti-skid finish would reduce slippages and fall, minimising injury. The durability yet flexibility and elasticity of the surface would allow for the surface to perform in an ideal manner for tennis games. It was also important that the court required little maintenance and that the schools investment would stand for a long period of time. Resin bound paving therefore ticked all the boxes for a their new tennis court.
If you are interested in finding out more about resin bound nursery or school permeable paving, please get in contact with us on 01484 400 855. We will more than happily help and advise and assist on design.