New inclusive play area in Varese with Demetra Playcork cork flooring

The new anti-trauma flooring in the inclusive and fully accessible Villa Recalcati playground in Varese has been created in cork by Demetra.

Also published in: Tsport 360

The new inclusive play area designed by arch. Belli and arch. Tesoro of the Varese Provincial Administration was inaugurated in Varese in the park of Villa Recalcati, where Demetra, in collaboration with Floricoltura Pasquale Gervasini, created the anti-trauma flooring.

With its 422 square metres it is the largest cork area ever created in Italy.

The inclusive play area guarantees the accessibility and inclusion of disabled and non-disabled users, but also to those who express different needs, including children, young people with disabilities, their carers, and users for whom it is necessary to consider different specific physical, motor, intellectual, relational and social needs (elderly people, people pushing pushchairs, pregnant women, people with walking deficits, people with orientation deficits, etc.).
The access routes to the play area are easily identifiable, perceivable and recognisable, with appropriate colour contrasts so as to facilitate visually impaired persons.

Cork non-trauma flooring from Demetra: the advantages

The new cork flooring ensures complete accessibility of the playground area and the playground itself is free of ramps or access slides. This allows wheelchair users to access every area of the playground as well as to reach and use elements or areas for furniture, resting, and play. In addition, the cork flooring aggregated with transparent resins blends perfectly with the historical and landscape features of the Villa Recalcati park.

The anti-trauma flooring used is Playcork80, an ecological solution in cork conglomerate bonded with special synthetic polymers in variable thicknesses, highly draining.

It is also particularly suitable as a turnaround for plants, flowerbeds, connecting areas or simply as a decorative element. Playcork can also be used as an alternative subfloor to concrete.

Demetra’s Playcork80 anti-trauma flooring offers numerous advantages: it is made by recovering industrial cork cutting waste, it drains, is suitable for a drop height of up to 2.16 metres and is certified according to UNI EN 1177:2018. It also maintains its impact absorption performance over time.

Recently, a comparative LCA (Life Cycle Assessment) study was conducted to assess the environmental impacts of this cork anti-trauma flooring compared to a classic cast rubber anti-trauma flooring.

This analysis showed that for each of the indicators examined, the environmental impact of Playcork anti-trauma flooring is lower than that of cast rubber for the same function of use.

Demetra is a solid group of professionals that has been working in the Environment and Green Services sector for over thirty years, bringing experience, innovation and technology; it specializes in the direct construction of sports, recreational and anti-trauma surfaces for playgrounds and offers turnkey sports facilities, including all necessary accessories.

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