The 2018 SAPCA Awards attracted a record number of entries, with a total of 17 contenders named as finalists for the prestigious honour. From those, a panel of judges chose David Morley Architects as the overall winner of the prize for the company’s work on the Sports Hub at University of Warwick.
Among the finalists was flooring specialist Gerflor, which was recognised for its work on rebuilding a new home for the Dale Youth Boxing Club, which was destroyed in the devastating Grenfell Tower fire.
Losing A Valuable Asset
For years, Dale Youth Boxing Club was a valued local resource and considered one of the best boxing clubs in the country. Boxers who trained at the club included Olympic gold medal winner James DeGale, super middleweight world champion George Groves and heavyweight Daniel Dubois.
The club’s fortunes, however, were changed forever on a fateful night in June 2017. The club’s home location, occupying a 287sq m gym on the walkway level of Grenfell Tower, meant it was caught up in one of London’s worst post-war tragedies.
A New Home
The club’s high profile – combined with the outpouring of sympathy following the devastating blaze – helped it gain support for efforts to rebuild the club. When BBC producers learnt of the club’s fate, it was chosen to feature on the popular TV show DIY SOS.
Led by host Nick Knowles, a DIY SOS team was assembled to build new premises for the club under the Westway flyover. One of the companies to have played a major role in the reconstruction was SAPCA member and flooring specialist Gerflor.
The new gym needed a selection of top-flight flooring products to enable the club to re-emerge once again as a vital hub within the community. For the task, the BBC team selected three of Gerflor’s sports flooring products: Taraflex Comfort, Taraflex Performance and Taraflex Surface.
The largest area in the gym was installed with 160sq m of Gerflor’s Taraflex Surface, which provided a multipurpose single layer floorcovering solution, capable of withstanding storage units, the moving of gym equipment and heavy footfall. It is especially suited for rolling sports.
All the flooring materials used in the project were generously donated by Gerflor. In addition, Gerflor’s contract sales and specification manager Suzanne Harvey, who liaised on the project, was instrumental in the success of the project, ensuring materials arrived on time.
Navjot Dhillon, Gerflor’s marketing manager, said: “We were delighted to support this community project that will make a positive difference to everyone using the facility, including future generations and champions of Great Britain & Ireland that will benefit from this training centre.”
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