case study
Barking Splash Park
Client: Barking & Dagenham Council
450M2 Rubbaflex
Project Background
Flexflooring Ltd has recently completed an installation of the most intricate surface design that they have ever been involved with. Requiring millimetre precision, the splash pad surface installed at Barking Park is a great example of the high level of attention to detail that Flexflooring brings to every project.
Since receiving a Heritage Lottery Fund, Barking & Dagenham Council have undertaken an ambitious plan to restore Barking Park including refurbishing the Lido and turning it into a Community Hub with cafe, educational facilities, enclosed wet play area and multifunctional space. Working with Ustigate, Flexflooring Ltd were brought in to help create the new wet play area by installing our Rubbaflex safety surface.
Prep Work
Installing the perfect substrate is crucial to the longevity of the completed Rubbaflex surface, so Flexflooring and Ustigate worked closely together on the concrete specification to ensure the best substrate possible for the splash pad.
Once the water jets had been installed and the new 450m² concrete pad poured and set, Flexflooring diamond ground the new surface to remove any laitance and create a strong key for our Rubbaflex surface to bond to. Flexflooring worked to a detailed design incorporating geometric patterns and water jets. The pattern set-out had to be millimetre perfect in order to tie in with the intricate water jet design installed by Ustigate. Therefore on completion of the surface preparation, Flexflooring took a week to measure and set out the pattern, which consisted of interlocking squares and rectangles.
Products Used
Gezoflex 0.5-1.5mm epdm granules, Aliphatic polyurethane, concrete primer
The Process
Using the finest EPDM granules from Switzerland, four colours were used to create an eye catching Art Deco inspired design. To achieve this, Flexflooring started by installing the lilac squares and rectangles across the site.
These sections were then covered to stop dust and debris from discolouring the completed elements before moving on to install the dark blue components of the design. The light grey sections were then installed which joined up the coloured squares. The design was completed with the installation of the bright blue sections finishing off the rectangular shape. Given the intricate nature of the design and the need to install each colour individually, the installation of 450m² took much longer than a single or dual colour installation, but was still completed within 2 weeks.
The fantastic colour scheme has been enhanced by the use of a special UV resistant resin binder to greatly reduce any colour change or fade. Unfortunately, vandalism can be a common side effect on projects located in public areas, but in this instance, security was required to keep the curious local foxes away from the site overnight, as paw prints never look good in rubber!
On completion, the overall effect is stunning and will only be even more fantastic once the water jets are on and children are playing. The wet play area is a superb edition to the previously derelict lido and offers a safe, interactive play area and dramatic water feature rolled into one!
