img(height="1" width="1" style="display:none" src="https://www.facebook.com/tr?id=2939831959404383&ev=PageView&noscript=1")

Stage floors promise special performance

Like the best performers, flooring for stages has to be tough and versatile, as Harlequin's experts explain

In association with
Staatstheater Nurnberg
Staatstheater Nurnberg

Stage floors are usually custom-built for a venue. They need to be hard-wearing because they are often integrated with equipment such as revolves, traps and tormentors and have to withstand heavy traffic from scenic trucks, flats and tallescopes during rigging. There are no specific standards for stage floors although tests in accordance with DIN 18032-2 are relevant to establishing compliance with shock absorption, vertical deformation, area deflection and behaviour under rolling load.

Modern stage construction techniques incorporate modular sprung floor panels that are laid in a ‘brickwork’ pattern. These securely interlock to form a floor that has consistent shock absorption over the whole area and provides a uniform surface that eliminates any unevenness of the sub floor. A top surface of a suitable vinyl is then laid and can be permanently bonded. The vinyl surface should be fire resistant and comply with relevant fire ratings and, in the case of cruise ships, should also be suitable for a marine environment. A recent development is the capability for using large format techniques to print images or bespoke designs to the vinyl surface. In some cases materials and surfaces can be specified to offer sound separation and damping.

Some multi-purpose venues may require transitions between different performance requirements. This is achieved by building a dance floor on a ballet wagon, which can be rotated from the horizontal to vertical and raised for storage in the fly tower.

  • Het Musiek Theatre
    Het Musiek Theatre
  • Birmingham Hippodrome
    Birmingham Hippodrome
  • Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design
    Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design
123

For more information and technical support visit: http://uk.harlequinfloors.com/en/

 

Contact:

0800 289932 or 01892 514888


 

 

 

Latest

Tuesday 20 June 2023, 09:00 – 11:15 am

PiP Offices and Workspace Design webinar

Passionate about public space? The RIBA Journal is inviting architects to take part in an intensive one-day design workshop to develop fresh thinking

Passionate about public space? The RIBA Journal is inviting architects to take part in an intensive one-day design workshop to develop fresh thinking

Peter Barber celebrates the process of making in this year's architecture room at the annual RA show, where work is analogue, crafted and handmade

Peter Barber celebrates the process of making

As refugees from war-torn regions flood the city of Lviv, a new school is being 3D-printed using a robotic innovation that has been developed in response to the threat of shelling

Robotic innovation helps cope with threat of breaks during shelling

London’s most lavishly finished building of its kind since the war, Michael Rosenauer’s 1953 Time Life building was packed with contemporary art and design

Time Life building, New Bond Street, London, 1953