Specifically, Fall Height addresses:

1.The severity of traumatic head injuries (concussions)

2.The inadequacy of the current playground safety standard as it relates to head injuries

3.Comprehensive testing of both Poured-In-Place and Rubber Tile

4.Suggestions on how to specify resilient fall surfacing

The results of the testing covered in the film are very interesting.  
All 8 poured-in-place surfaces tested failed CSA Z6-14.  You can watch the film below.

Basically, the main points of the article are:

1) Surfacing is the most important component of a safe playground, because 68% of injuries that occur on public playgrounds are based on falling and making contact with the surface below.

2) Based on research from the automotive industry and the NFL (leaders in head injury research), current playground safety thresholds (1000 HIC and 200 GMAX) are not adequate.  The most recent research shows that at 1000 HIC there is a 16% chance of a life-threatening head injury and suggests that 700 HIC (the automotive standard) is a more appropriate threshold (570 HIC for children under 5).

3) Concussions are actually a pretty serious injury. The most comprehensive data on the subject suggests that concussions can lead to clinical depression, mental illness and premature death based on a study conducted on former football players and boxers.

This is really interesting information. Especially for me, since we just drop-tested 12 playgrounds for CSA safety compliance  (big thanks to SofSurfaces for lending us the Triax 2000).   We filmed the results, which we will release in an upcoming documentary entitled Fall Height.  The results of our testing are that much more interesting when the above information is taken into consideration.

The automotive industry, which clearly has deeper pockets for testing than the playground industry dictates that, to reduce the chance of a life-threatening injury, an impact should not exceed 700 HIC for an adult and 570 HIC for a child under 5.

If the most current research shows that 700 HIC is the max impact that can be sustained by an ADULT skull to reduce a life threatening injury, then why does the playground standard say 1000 HIC is the max impact for a children’s developing skull?  I think the playground standard needs to be updated.

Check out the Fall Height Trailer Here:

1) HIC RATING:

Playground standards in North America require that playground surfacing pass only the minimum (1000 HIC).  HIC stands for Head Injury Criteria.  HIC is determined by dropping a special steel ball on a surface and taking an electronic reading about the impact. Any impact score over 1000 HIC indicates a serious head injury from a fall.  A playground surface that gets a score of 1000 HIC is like a roof that has 1 month left before it leaks or tires that are near bald.  A playground surface should score 1000 HIC after more than a decade of use, not brand new.

My advice: Ask your supplier what the HIC (pronounced ‘hick’) rating is for their tiles from your required fall height . The HIC rating should beat the standard by at least 25%.  For example, a HIC score of 650 would indicate a very safe surface. If the HIC rating for your fall height is higher than 900 or they don’t know what a HIC rating is, find a new supplier.

Triax test measuring HIC rating

2) FALL HEIGHT:

Tile thicknesses protect against varying heights.  Some manufacturers produce flimsy tiles that have a lot of impact attenuation, but lack the structural integrity needed to last over time in a commercial playground setting.  Other manufacturers measure the fall impact attenuation based on HIC minimums.  So any tile that passes anywhere under 1000 HIC from a given height is marketed as the appropriate tile for that height.  As a result, customers become confused when one manufacturer’s 2″ tile protects against 4′ of fall height and another manufacturer’s 2″ protects against 6′ of fall height.

My advice: ask for tile quotes based on required fall height, not tile thickness.

3) LOCKING SYSTEM:

How are the tiles stuck together? Rubber tiles expand and contract more than most building materials or products.  If the tiles are not unified somehow, gaps will form between tiles during colder weather.  When debris gets into these contraction gaps, the tiles cannot close back together and the overall surface will fail to function as it’s supposed to.

My advice: ask your suppliers to explain how the tiles lock together.  The tiles should remain unified as one monolithic surface at all times.  If rubber tiles are merely linked with dowels or  are installed with ‘compression fit’, move on.  These methods are inadequate.  Tiles should have a locking system.  Most good locking systems have been patented by their manufacturers.  In addition to the locking system, the tiles should be glued together with manufacturer specified adhesive.  In other words, the seams between the tiles should be filled with adhesive.

The patented KrosLOCK system by SofSurfaces

4) INSTALLATION:

Getting a quality tile is just the first part of the battle. Proper installation is absolutely crucial to the performance and longevity of the surface.  Whoever will be installing your tile surface should be trained by their tile manufacturer in how to install their tiles.  Spacing, sub-surface, drainage, cutting, expansion/contraction, adhesion, fall heights, tile storage, repairs, etc.  are all issues that an installation crew should be trained on.  If a rubber play surface is installed correctly, it will look, last, and perform a lot better.

My advice: Ask your supplier if their install crew has been trained and certified by the tile manufacturer.  They may have experience installing tiles and have built 100 playgrounds, but if they have not been specifically trained by the tile manufacturer to install, move on.

Proper installation by Urban Green Inc. in Vancouver

If you follow the advice in this post, you will likely find success in choosing an appropriate rubber tile surfacing.  Thanks for reading.

1) Look for materials that ‘just work’.  For me, this occurred with the design of the I-Seat and the rest of the I-Line products.  Heavy-gauge I-beam has a form that naturally lends itself to being a seat/table/bench pedestal.  Further, its shape enables a seat to be fastened on the top, and the pedestal to be fastened to the ground – naturally. The fact that the I-beam we salvaged was used to hold up a hi-rise, means it exceeds any load capacity a bench or seat could ever require.  And there’s something kind of luxurious about that.  Look for materials that just naturally work.

2) Look for objects that have  Major Transformation Potential (MTP).  Wood is a great example of this.  Often, even the most crappy piece of wood, as long as it’s not rotten, can be refurbished to look brilliant.  Even a standard 2″ x 4″ can be sanded to look amazing.  Raw cedar, like stumps and logs pulled from the bush, have a lot of MTP.  Some of our most impressive Reclaim benches were milled out of the ugly duckling of the wood pile.

3) Look for materials that have been retired from heavier duty.  Like hiring the retired Navy Seal to teach the Boy Scouts, employing heavy-duty material for lighter-duty applications is usually a win-win.  I took materials that were reclaimed from a rural bridge and made a kitchen table out of them.  These materials were strong enough to hold up bridge traffic in their past life, so they are definitely strong enough to hold up a couple plates, some drinks and our fruit bowl.  We’ll definitely hide under the table if there is ever an earth quake.  Based on the materials it’s made out of, it’s way over-engineered.  But again, nothing exceeds like excess, and when you’re building with garbage you can indulge yourself.

Bob Maydonik is the owner of Reclaim Recycled Products, a brand devoted to manufacturing furniture with salvaged materials.

Here in Vancouver specifically, there is a push to be the greenest city in the world by 2020. While this is a great goal to strive for, we would like to see a higher conversion from traditional products to green products. We carry the only recycled playground equipment in North America (PDP) as well as some of the best recycled rubber tile playground surfacing (SofSurfaces) on the market and have lots of interest in our products. For many of those that want the green element and contact us regarding it, price becomes an issue. Everyone is on board for green products and thinking until they see the price tag, which can be significantly higher than the traditional choices out there. We see many municipalities pushing for green alternative ideas and now it’s about turning those ideas into a realization. We were lucky to be part of Vancouver’s green initiative by installing 6,500 SqF of our SofTile for Emery Barnes Park in downtown.

It’s still early in 2011, so we are hopeful that the push for green alternatives will gain momentum as time goes on. If you know someone looking for green playgrounds, green site furnishings or green playground surfacing, point them in our direction!

Best of luck in 2011,

The UG team

We expanded our Reclaim Recycled Products line by  officially launching the “I-Line” and the “Organic Objects” line, both to great acclaim. Our I-Line is manufactured using reclaimed materials (reclaimed fir wood and salvaged structural i-beam) while our Organic Objects line is made completely from dead fall. We were able to specify a number of products from each line for several different projects (including Kitsilano Beach here in Vancouver).

We have also recently begun working on our “Internal Affairs” line which uses the same materials as the I-Line but is intended for indoor application. We noticed the demand for green furnishings early on and our Reclaim Recycled Products brand addresses this need with simple but stylish and functional options.

Our online store, The Landscape Architect Superstore has continued to build momentum since its inception. More than just a store, a tool really for LA’s worldwide, LASS has gained a loyal following. With the ability to create projects, download photos, spec/info sheets, CAD files and email projects to clients it’s obvious why LA’s & contractors alike are turning to it. We continue to rotate our catalogue, adding new items as demand warrants. If you haven’t been there yet, make sure you take a moment to check it out!

All in all, 2010 was another great year for Urban Green. We hope that next year will provide us with new opportunities and a chance to showcase all of our new Reclaim products which have already come quite a ways since the design phase.

Remember to drop us a line at info@urbangreeninc.com if you have any questions regarding our products. You can also visit our Reclaim Recycled Products page and The Landscape Architect Superstore to see the latest products. Follow us on twitter for updates as well @UrbanGreenInc and @LandArchStore

Bring on the new year!

Internal Affairs (I.A.) – part of the I-line from Reclaim Recycled Products. Take the character and sophistication of Reclaim indoors.

Landarch Superstore provides value to its users in two main ways:

1. By providing unique products not found everywhere else.

2. By making all the necessary info required to spec our products available to the user instantly.

We’re the only company to offer a unique blend of unique furnishings made from both virgin and reclaimed materials.  We offer products for almost any budget and style.  Our products are fresh in terms of design, solid in terms of construction, and reasonable in terms of price.  Our goal is to offer the best value on the market.  To create an offering that is unsurpassable.  We are constantly refining our products to achieve this goal.

We encourage people to learn about our products, because then they’ll know the value of our offering.  We endeavor to provide all pertinent product information to make life easier for LAs.  Currently, this includes spec sheets, CAD files, product pdfs, warranty info, color charts, product pictures for download, material specs and coating specs.  Oh yeah, and pricing – including freight.

Based on the feedback we received from the landscape architects in Vancouver – who are a pretty progressive bunch – we figured the product binder was kind of a thing of the past.  We understand that landscape architects are generally design-minded people who want a fair amount of control in their creations.  We try to make it easy for LAs to customize our furnishings using the store. Pick a wood type, or a finish color, mix and match, and then figure out the cost instantly.  We also understand that most LAs are pretty tech savvy so we saved them a trip to the library shelf and empowered them with an online application specifically designed for them.

It’s time to check out the Landscape Architect Superstore today if you haven’t already.