Though most fabric and services systems and products can be used in facilities of all types, some are specific to a particular facility. So where does a specifier go for neutral authoritative technical information on systems and products pertaining to sports facilities? John Gelder, NBS Content development manager, provides a starter for ten.
NBS covers general purpose systems and products pretty thoroughly, but cannot cover facility-specific systems and products to the same extent, though it does make an effort. For sports facilities, for example, NBS offers the following work sections: Swimming pool water treatment systems, Swimming pool timing and scoring systems, Special surfacings/pavings for sport/general amenity, and Play and sports equipment.
Where else can the specifier go? There is a wealth of information out there. Here we concentrate on playing surfaces, spectator seating, lighting and fixed equipment.
Sport England
For outdoor surfaces, the Sports and Play Construction Association (SAPCA, with Sport England)
On lighting, Fields in Trust publishes Floodlighting of outdoor sports facilities
Guide documents dealing with fixed equipment include SAPCA's Code of practice for the construction and maintenance of fencing systems for sports facilities
The Sport England website includes links to individual sports organisations, many of which publish technical material that will be useful to specifiers.
On artificial turf, again, the Football Association
The International Tennis Federation
Rules for individual sports often address the playing surface. For example IRB Law 1.1(b) states: "Type of surface. The surface should be grass but may also be sand, clay, snow or artificial grass. The game may be played on snow, provided the snow and underlying surface are safe to play on. It shall not be a permanently hard surface such as concrete or asphalt. In the case of artificial grass surfaces, they must conform to IRB Regulation 22". For athletics, the International Association of Athletics Federations'
Examples for lighting include the LTA Fact Sheet Floodlighting outdoor tennis courts, and the International Hockey Federation (FIH) 2007 Guide to the artificial lighting of hockey pitches.
For fixed equipment and the like, see LTA Fact Sheets, including Indoor tennis structures
Where would specifiers be without standards? For indoor sports surfaces, a central BSI
The principal standard for spectator seating is BS EN 13200 Spectator facilities (various parts), which covers layout criteria for the spectator viewing area and the service area, separating elements, seats, telescopic stands, and demountable (temporary) stands.
The basic general standard on the topic of sports lighting is BS EN 12193:2007 Light and lighting. Sports lighting. However, CIE
Though there are many standards dealing with loose equipment, few deal with fixed equipment. One such is BS EN 13451 Swimming pool equipment (various parts), which covers ladders, stepladders and handle bends, pool fittings for water treatment purposes, starting platforms, lane lines, turning boards, water polo goals, leisure water features, diving platforms, diving springboards and associated equipment, and moveable pool floors and moveable bulkheads. Another is BS EN 1176:2008 Playground equipment and surfacing (various parts), which covers design, installation, inspection, operation and maintenance of cableways, enclosed play equipment, swings, slides, carousels, and rocking equipment. BS EN 1177:2008, on fall heights to impact-attenuating playground surfacing, is also of interest.
Finally, a number of organisations offering technical guidance to the construction sector publish some material dealing with sports facilities. For example, on spectator seating there are BRE Information Papers IP 4/00 and 5/00, which deal with the dynamic response of retractable
Though one can contact these information providers individually, many of them make their material available on Construction Information Service, a joint IHS/ RIBA Enterprises product which is linked to from within the NBS. Other relevant publishers represented on The Construction Information Service include DfES, PWTAG, Architectural Press, FSADC, BRECSU, Sports Council for Wales, and the Scottish Sports Council.