Best Practices for Selecting Synthetic Surfaces in Public Open Spaces

Issue

Discussion points

Durability and consistency of the chosen surface material

• A well-designed natural turf field can deliver approximately 40-50 “field hours” per week, equal to the actual use of a synthetic field. However, there is a lack of knowledge about best practice natural turf approaches – and soil and turf selection and management requires specialist knowledge.
• Many existing natural turf fields are managed with inadequate budgets, and the durability, capacity and consistency of the playing surface could be significantly improved through enhanced maintenance. In contrast, synthetic turf fields have required maintenance regimes that need to be considered and adequately funded to extend the economic life of the asset.

Cost considerations: capital outlay and ongoing maintenance 

• Partial installation/combined natural and synthetic turf can reduce the cost of delivery of synthetic surfaces. If budgets are tight, a dual approach could be a good solution. 
• The lifecycle costs of synthetic and natural turf fields should be considered when deciding on surface type – is there enough funding for ongoing maintenance? Synthetic turf maintenance is not exorbitantly expensive, but there is a minor ongoing cost attached that needs to be factored in.
• Natural turf fields require more maintenance (especially frequent mowing in summer) which needs to be planned for by local governments and facility owners. 

All-weather usability 

• Natural turf will not recover as quickly after rain events, resulting in lost playing hours 
• Hybrid turf and synthetic turf with organic infill can provide more playing hours during wet weather but there is a need to reduce the risk of infill and other synthetic fibres washing into local waterways during wet weather events. This can often be managed using good space design and proper drainage. 
• Some synthetic turf can lose playing hours during the extreme summer heat, however cool-touch synthetic turf varieties mitigate some of the heat load, offering a 15% reduction in heat transfer. 
• Natural grass playing fields can be uncomfortable or downright unusable after severe weather, resulting in waterlogged, muddy, or dusty and baked-dry surfaces. 

Environmental considerations

• Water consumption is vastly increased when using natural grass. Natural turf watering can be somewhat reduced by designing fields with stormwater retention tanks, but synthetic turf never requires watering (apart from the intentional wetting of hockey fields). 
• Mowing, petrol-powered blowers and other turf maintenance equipment can contribute to CO2 emissions. On the other hand, synthetic turf never requires mowing – completely removing this as a potential emission source.
• Synthetic turf with organic infill (eg: cork) can reduce the incidence of rubber crumb and other synthetic materials leaching into the surrounding environment. 
• The sustainability of synthetic turf is becoming increasingly more positive throughout Australia. New ‘4th Generation’ synthetic turf offers technological advancements in design and materials to address some of the known environmental impacts arising from older types of synthetic turf. Consider the professionalism of the synthetic turf supplier and their product specifications.