A school in Blackburn where Thornton Sports recently installed a rooftop sports facility has been longlisted for the coveted RIBA Stirling Prize 2013.
As one of just 43 UK projects on the list, St Silas C of E Primary School earns its recognition as an original, imaginative and well executed design which excellently meets the needs of its users.
Thornton Sports installed a synthetic grass rooftop pitch facility at the school in 2011, as part of a larger scheme for Balfour Beatty. The company's unique SudsSports rooftop system was chosen for the pitch, which incorporates light-weight plastic units as a sub-base replacement layer, to create a void between the surface and the rooftop structure.
This simplifies the construction process and offers a cost-effective and practical solution to an otherwise logistically problematic project. Due to the innovative way in which the units are designed, they also perform as an excellent drainage and water management system.
The synthetic grass surface selected for the rooftop facility was Thornton Sports' in-house UK manufactured Classic 10 surface, installed on top of a pre-fabricated shock-pad. With a short dense pile, Classic 10 is the ideal choice for primary schools as it can be installed unfilled. This prevents any chance of eye irritation, which can occasionally be caused by sand-filled surfaces.
