Munich Airport’s new play areas with Alpine flair

Although, for children, flying is always an adventure, the hustle and bustle of airports, waiting times and security checks make it just as strenuous as it is exciting for the little passengers.

In the satellite building of Terminal 2, Munich’s “Franz Josef Strauss” airport has set up two new family and children’s zones so that its younger passengers can play, let off steam and relax before their journey. And the seamless indoor surfacing from the Bad Berleburg manufacturers BSW provides the required climbing and playing safety.

The concept for the two zones came from Munich architect Eva Demmelhuber, inspired by Bavaria’s alpine landscapes. The furnishings and playing elements are all special one-off designs and are named after famous Alpine massifs. And so, the kids can while away their waiting times on the Watzmann mountain, the central massif of the Berchtesgaden Alps. Or they can go climbing over huge tree trunks floating down the Partnachklamm Gorge in Garmisch-Partenkirchen. Of course, this “Alpine Region” needs the appropriate impact protection surface for its little “mountaineers”. For this, Eva Demmelhuber chose playfix® indoor, the seamless PUR flooring from BSW with outstanding fall protection properties. This floor covering not only provides the necessary protection; its colouring can also be adapted to the design concept. The lush meadows and babbling streams of the Bavarian Alps are captured in spring green and Capri blue surfaces.

For the children’s play zone on level 04, which is only accessible after the security checks, 155 m² playfix® indoor were supplied and installed. The surfaces are barrier free, allowing easy access to wheelchair users. A further 62 m² of playfix® indoor was laid on level 05. The flush-mounted inspection hatches in the floor were also covered with playfix® indoor, giving them the same impact protection qualities as the rest of the surface.

The overall installation height of both floor surfaces is 42 mm and is a bespoke design, specially adapted to this specific project. This version is classified as flame retardant Bfl-s1 in accordance with DIN EN 13501-1:2010 and is also approved by the DIBt (German Insitute for Building Technology). The fire class was a decisive feature for the architect, as the fire protection certificate was a requirement the airport had demanded.

Further benefits of playfix® indoor are its easy cleaning, resilience, durability and non-slip properties. Symbols, logos, images and lettering can also be applied to the flooring. In both family and children’s zones, the task of laying the floor was put in the capable hands of a trained BSW technician.