Be it a skyscraper or an outdoor basketball court, it must have a strong base or foundation so that the court or building have a long life. In India, most of the outdoor courts are built on concrete surfaces.
Concrete is indeed a strong material to construct a building, however, concrete floor be it a PCC surface or a trimix surface for basketball court, tennis court, multipurpose court has several issues.
Every sport and its respective federation have certain stipulated norms for the slopes and the maximum tolerance for undulation. For instance, ITF has set a maximum tolerable undulation for an outdoor tennis court up to 5mm. Similarly, a basketball court has a slope defined by the FIBA.
Disadvantages of concrete base for outdoor courts:
When it comes to building a PCC or trimix base, it is highly difficult to prepare the base as per ITF norms or FIBA standards. It is practically difficult to build a concrete base that has less than 5mm undulation. The other major problem with a concrete base is that by nature concrete surfaces tend to crack because of expansion and contraction. It is natural to have hairline cracks develop on the concrete surface. Other than this the cracks can develop due to the settlement of the sub-base or due to vibrations on the ground.
Largely, outdoor basketball courts, tennis courts, and multipurpose courts are built on acrylic surfaces. However, acrylic as a synthetic material does not have elongation/elasticity which can withhold the surface tension. Hence, even minor cracks become visible on the surface.
This is the reason why a concrete base is not a concrete solution for outdoor courts. The best alternative option for outdoor courts is to have a bituminous base where most of the above-mentioned disadvantages of concrete flooring can be reduced to a minimum. For that, you need to find the right sports contractor who is knowledgeable enough and technically sound to build sustainable sports flooring. Olympiados is an expert in all outdoor substrate works and civil works.
