Te Kupenga o Rongomai – Maidstone Sports Hub in Upper Hutt is a new community sports facility that brings different local clubs and codes together in one space. "It’s a space to practise, play, train and get together," says lead consultant Stephenson & Turner. "Along with the sports facilities for rugby, judo, boxing, football and more, you’ve got upstairs clubrooms and a bar and restaurant that lead to grandstand terracing overlooking the playing fields."

As a new entry to the Maidstone Park grounds, the new sports hub is designed externally to sit comfortably in its context of the park, forest edge and light industrial surroundings. The interior is purposefully neutral and non-branded, allowing the sports clubs and marketing team to brand the walls with their colours.

Along with a full-size, fully enclosed astroturf playing field, there are three large multi-use sports spaces interconnected with sliding doors, all featuring the Taraflex Multi-Use sports flooring from Advance. "We chose it for its performance, durability and longevity, which all came at the right price point. Plus it’s a wide roll-out product, which can be laid directly over concrete, all which made it the suitable choice for this project."

To protect the interiors from suffering the effects of tracked-in dirt and moisture from the outdoor sports grounds and car parks, the designers specified ExtraTread, an attractive heavy duty Entrance Matting System designed for long-lasting performance.

"ExtraTread was selected for it’s commercial-grade robustness and tidy looks, in keeping with the building’s industrial aesthetic. It was easily shaped to fit the entrance areas and looks seamless against the window joinery. It’s an excellent product, and well-suited to the hard-wearing entry spaces here."