A super new playground for Kingswinford school

The Project

Aggregate Industries successfully lays specialist sports asphalt, SuperSport, to create a new and improved surface to the playground at a West Midlands school.

The Brief

The playground at a popular secondary school in Kingswinford had recently been resurfaced. However, soon after, problems in the new surface started to appear. Joints between each rip became visible and it was apparent that the levels were inconsistent, creating potential trip hazards and causing surface water to pool. 

Eager to rectify the situation as quickly as possible, the school, in partnership with the local council, agreed a full resurface was required and appointed a new contractor, MAC Surfacing, to replace the poorly laid surface.

The Solution

Keen to avoid any further issues, the project team specified SuperSport, a specialist sports asphalt from Aggregate Industries, for the new and improved surface.

SuperSport, a range of asphalt products designed to meet job-specific requirements, offers a range of benefits for multi-use games and play areas. Free-draining, it ensures standing water does not collect, even after heavy rainfall. It is designed using bitumen modifiers, which offer increased resistance to scuffing, reduces the potential for softening in extreme temperatures, and ensures a tough and durable playing surface. 

With a consistent supply of SuperSport from Aggregate Industries’ Haughmond Hill site guaranteed throughout the job, contractors, MAC Surfacing, were able to replace the new surface in just two days. They began by removing the existing asphalt and profile planning the area to an average depth of 22mm to correct the levels. They then applied Bondcoat with a tanker before machine laying 30mm of 6mm SuperSport across the 2,700m2 playground using hot joints for a smooth, even finish. In total 240 tonnes of SuperSport were supplied to complete the job.

Jake Wherton, Director at MAC Surfacing, commented: “The most challenging part of the job was profile planing the existing surface by enough to expose the open graded binder but not too much to weaken the substructure.  As this was an area that would be used by children, it was imperative that the planed finish was to the correct levels and as smooth as possible to avoid deviations in the final surface. SuperSport was easy to lay, providing good workability, and we were impressed with the consistency of supply from Aggregate Industries during the job. Both we, and the school, were very happy with the end result.”

To find out more about SuperSport please visit the product page.

Aggregate Industries manufactures a wide range of warm mix asphalt products, including the UK’s first ever commercially available biogenic asphalt – SuperLow Carbon. SuperSport is delivered as a warm mix asphalt. For more information visit the warm mix page.