Architectural design practice FaulkerBrowns in collaboration with Beard Construction have installed Britain’s first LED-lit, smart glass floor at Oxford’s Acer Nethercott Hall.
Designed by German design company ASB, the futuristic floor–controlled with a touchpad–uses flexible under-floor lighting to provide custom line markings for a range of sports, such as badminton, basketball, and football.
The lights can appear in a variety of colours and patterns, all of which can be programmed remotely.
The new addition to the 700-square metre space took six weeks to instal. It is part of £60 million project to redevelop Oxford’s Iffley road sports centre.
Speaking on the floor’s historic significance, Dean Averies, director of Beard said:
“We’re delighted to have been involved in the construction of this cutting-edge sports hall for the University of Oxford which is a first of its kind in the country. As specialists in the delivery of sports centres, we believe these smart glass sports floors are the way of the future, offering a sustainable hi-tech solution that outperforms traditional sports flooring.”
The Iffley road complex first entered the history books in 1954, when Sir Roger Bannister broke the four-minute mile record while running a race on a track located on the premises.
It was renamed in 2015 to honour the memory of Oxford alumnus and Olympic medallist Acer Nethercott, who succumbed to cancer in 2013.
