Permeable tennis court gets the thumbs up

In its latest move towards building better and more sustainable sports facilities, materials science company Dow has partnered with Sport Singapore (SportSG) and B.T. Sports to unveil Singapore's first fully permeable tennis hard court.

The flooring of the new court, which is located at the Jurong West Tennis Centre, allows players to return to play quicker after it rains.

The hard court's Greenpave permeable tennis court coating system has a draining set-up across its entire surface to ensure zero water ponding.

Greenpave protects the substrates from harmful ultraviolet radiation and surface water which guarantees fade, scuff and chalking resistance.

Having a permeable surface will also help reduce roller waste, thus creating a long-lasting professional court that requires minimum maintenance.

Dow's country director for Singapore and Malaysia Paul Fong said: "I believe that we all have a role to play if we want a better outcome for the environment.

"As for future plans to roll out similar projects, we are looking forward to testbed and implementing new ideas on sports surfaces that enhance playability and durability when designing our facilities."

Cafe owner Amoz Chua, who played on the court for the first time early last month, said: "It has a lot more traction, which is important especially during the rainy season because some other courts can be quite slippery.

"This is better and easy to dry as well. With this surface and the equipment they use to dry, it takes about 15 to 20 minutes to dry, while the other one may take 30 to 40 minutes to dry."

Fong hopes that the installation of the 670 sq m court will "pave the way for more outdoor permeable courts and adjacent market applications, further supporting active healthy lifestyles and sporting success among Singaporeans and residents alike".

In September last year, Dow and B.T. Sports were among several companies that partnered SportSG to launch a collection campaign to turn 300,000 pairs of used shoes into new sports infrastructure such as jogging tracks, fitness areas and playgrounds over the next three years.

After collecting more than 75,000 pairs of shoes last year - which can build about 3.3km of jogging track - Dow announced in July the establishment of a permanent shoe waste collection ecosystem, which aims to recycle 170,000 pairs of used sports shoes per year.

The rubberised soles and midsoles are ground into rubber granules that are used as a material to build sports infrastructure, partially replacing hazardous recycled tyres.

As of October, Dow has collected 69,000 pairs of used sports and school shoes.

SportSG also hopes to embark on more of such projects and is "committed to work with like-minded entities like Dow to drive sustainable solutions at our facilities and sporting events," said its spokesman.

The national agency added: "We look forward to testing new ideas on sport surfaces that enhance playability and durability when designing our facilities."