It&#;s Best You Don&#;t Throw Caution To The Wind

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Windy weather can be the most frustrating conditions to play padel in as it affects two of the most important parts of the game &#; the lob and the overheads, particularly if the ball is lofted above the height of the glass. To be fair, any adverse conditions can have a negative effect on performance and even the best games can look scrappy if players are dealing with the elements.  All players prefer playing padel (and probably any sport) in perfect conditions.

Our advice, unsurprisingly, is to install a cover over the court so players can enjoy padel without the threat of high winds affecting ball placement, rain affecting the ball&#;s bounce, sun affecting your eyes or cold temperatures affecting the rebound but we understand that this option is not always viable be it from a planning or financial perspective.  When it comes to wind however, we are less concerned about how it affects your game and more interested in how it affects the structural stability of the padel court.

The building&#;s structural design must absorb wind forces safely and efficiently and transfer them to the foundations in order to avoid structural collapse.  It&#;s not just the quality of the steel manufacturing that is important to consider but also the soil structure.  Then there&#;s the wind speed and direction, the court&#;s location, height, orientation and surrounding topography.

All of these factors are specific to the site that has been identified for development, which is why we strongly believe that a customised approach is the most sensible way to start every new project.  

This is of particular relevance for padel.  One, because we are dealing with glass and two, because there are a huge number of padel court structures that are being imported to the UK from Europe where the environment is so different.

Glass walls that are more accustomed to absorbing heat from the sun in Spain are not necessarily going to be able to absorb the wind&#;s force in Scotland so we strongly recommend you ensure the wind loads have been factored in at the start of any new construction project.  Don&#;t settle for what might be standard in Madrid.  The chances are it will not last very long in Middlesborough.

Yes, wind loads can have a significant impact on game playability but critically there will be no play whatsoever if they have a negative impact on structural stability.

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SAFETY stays on top of our priorities and our goal is choosing the right Court-Modell for your area and application. We do have Courts in the lower price range for Indoor use, but keep in mind that it does not offer the right structural strength for an installation in high wind zones. An indoor court can be considered for outdoor use, if you install it in a wind protected area. See the overview: see section OUTDOOR Padel Courts

As already explained in some other posts, the structural strength needs to be determined after a deep analysis of the wind conditions in the place of installation. This includes also the obstacles installed around the Padel Court, like walls, buildings and other constructions that will help to reduce and soften the impact of high winds on the Padel Court.

These 2 points need to be considered when taken a decision in order to avoid future structural damages on the Padel Court.

1) Windloads according to the local conditions.
    Feel free to get a professional feed-back from a local structural engineer and find out what are the windloads to be considered for your project. We do also have options to find this out and to inform you in this regard.

2) The terrain category answers the question about the exposure in the place of installation. The exposure of a Padel Court installed close to the sea or in the middle of the field vs. installing the Padel Court in the middle of the city surrounded by buildings it is not the same. We will inform you about this during the process.

Considering the glass as the ONLY stable element, we would need to work on the steel structure and do the necessary to strengthen the Padel Court accordingly to the local requirements in order to safely stable the glass.

A weak steel construction with a very low amount of steel installed in the wrong place is a risk. Pay attention to the tube section when you compare quotes of different suppliers.

IMPORTANT NOTES:

• Glass usually breaks because the steel structure does not manage to safely stabilise the glass.
• Every Padel Court needs to be anchored on top of a reinforced concrete surface, in order to reach the max. stability for safety reasons.
• Padel Courts installed on soft ground, like a tennis court, do not offer the needed structural strength to secure the stability and are not appropriate for a permanent installation. 

Below you will see a couple of images of damaged Padel Courts by the wind or insufficient anchoring. This is consequence of underestimating the wind power. 

We help you with the right choice based on our experience.
Just talk to us and we will help you enjoying Padel with safety.

For more information, please visit What Factors Are Related to the Wind Resistance of a Padel Tennis Court?.