WPC decking systems from NATURinFORM are designed for safe outdoor play, romping, and living. Tested according to DIN EN 71 Part 3, the wood-based decking meets the requirements of the "European Standard for Toy Safety" for children's toys. Furthermore, there are no splinters, cracks, or sharp edges that could injure children. And even in wet conditions, NATURinFORM's proven natural wood-based material scores top marks for slip resistance (R 13/Class C). As a member of the Qualitätsgemeinschaft Holzwerkstoffe eV Gießen (Quality Association for Wood-Based Materials), NATURinFORM promotes assured quality production.

Children today spend considerably more time in childcare facilities than they did 10 years ago. Under the Child Support Act, all one- to three-year-olds have had a legal right to a daycare place since August 2013. Kindergartens, day-care centers, and crèches are therefore one of the most important building tasks. And the greater the educational demands placed on the care of young children, the higher the demands on architecture. Because where children experience and understand the world outside of their familiar family environment for the first time in their lives, every detail plays a special role, as does the quality of the materials, colors, and surfaces used. This applies particularly to flooring. The floor is the surface that children are closest to, on which they move a lot, and which is used for most play activities.

For Cologne-based architect Maria Nagy, tested wood-polymer decking is the perfect material for creating child-friendly, safe, and lastingly attractive outdoor spaces. This natural, recyclable wood-based material is ideal for kindergartens. When converting a listed Cologne city villa into a private kindergarten, Maria Nagy opted for the wood-polymer material "Made in Germany" and, with the "DIE BELIEBTE" decking, gave the courtyard a child-friendly appearance. What, in the architect's view, makes this environmentally friendly and natural wood-based material so suitable for kindergartens? "...that there is no risk of injury from splinters or slipping – even in wet conditions," says Maria Nagy. In the Cologne project, the courtyard also serves as an escape route, requiring maximum slip resistance. NATURinFORM's wood-based decking meets these requirements with the highest rating (R 13/Class C). Added to this are the warm wood look, the pleasant walkability, the durability and the lack of maintenance, says Maria Nagy.

KIGA Windheim: Robust area – healthy children

In Windheim, Franconia, the need for childcare places for children under three years of age also led to the expansion of the kindergarten. An integral part of the educational and architectural concept here is a new building with an outdoor area, which, with its integrated sandbox and protected from sun, wind, and weather, literally "gives space" to the little ones' urge to play almost year-round. The building is open to the covered courtyard with a generous glass front. The visual and functional connection between indoor and outdoor areas was also of great importance in the selection of materials. With the "DIE BELIEB-TE" terrace plank in natural brown, Dipl.-Ing. Georg Neubauer from the planning office of the same name found a convincing way to achieve precisely this. The NATURinFOM terrace system, with its natural wood character, fits harmoniously into the daycare center's concept. The decisive factors in choosing the modern wood-polymer material for this project were the material's advantages: its splinter-free design and slip resistance. "The outdoor space is used by the children as a play area every day, so safety and health are our top priority," explains Georg Neubauer. The fact that the decking boards, with usage class 1, are also extremely robust, require no complex maintenance, and are also impressively durable were further aspects that confirmed his material choice. "The floor is subjected to extreme wear and tear from toy cars, sand, and water. People also eat and drink here. Accidents can easily happen," reports Neubauer. The modern material easily withstands these stresses, as everyday life proves – on around 25 square meters of outdoor play area, which allows for safe playing and romping all year round.

Tested safety “Made in Germany”

Certified quality WPC from NATURinFORM consists of approximately 70 percent natural, finest wood fibers, sourced exclusively from sustainably managed German forests and PEFC-certified suppliers, and approximately 30 percent of an environmentally friendly polymer (PE). It thus combines all the positive properties of the natural material wood with additional advantages: splinter- and crack-free, children can romp and walk barefoot on these WPC floorboards, especially since the material is exceptionally durable (durability class 1) and extremely slip-resistant even in wet conditions (slip resistance class 13). The excellent test results from the Fraunhofer Wilhelm Klauditz Institute (WKI), which tested and certified the wood material according to the strict guidelines of DIN EN 71-3 for the production of children's toys, confirm that all NATURinFORM products are fully "toy-friendly." In addition to natural wood tones, planks in blue, green, yellow, or red allow for color schemes tailored to the spatial environment. The proven NATURinFORM decking system offers versatile solid and honeycomb profiles, as well as the matching substructure.