STRUCTApanel® Smooth Powers Elite Sports Stadium Performance

A New Benchmark for Stadium Flooring Systems

When Action Venue Systems, one of Queensland’s leading sports flooring specialists, was contracted to supply and install the flooring system for a major indoor sports stadium, the team knew the underlay needed to achieve exceptional performance. Sports flooring endures extreme loads, constant movement and rigorous compliance requirements. Only a high-strength, high-consistency material could meet the brief.

After assessing multiple options, Action Venue Systems selected STRUCTApanel® Smooth 12mm, supplied through Hurford Wholesale, as the ideal underlay for the 1,200 square metre installation. The result was a flooring system that delivered outstanding strength, reliable movement control, long-term durability and complete confidence for players, spectators and facility managers.

The Challenge

Sports stadiums place unique and demanding pressures on flooring systems. The underlay beneath the finished timber surface must perform several critical functions at the same time.

First, it must support repeated impact, lateral movement and shock absorption. This stadium required rubber pads installed beneath the flooring system to deliver controlled movement and minimise stress on athletes’ joints. The underlay needed to work seamlessly with these pads, maintaining stability while allowing the right level of flexibility for safe sporting performance.

Second, the underlay had to withstand significant structural loads, including heavy sports equipment, maintenance machinery and even a 40-tonne moveable grandstand. Any compromise in strength or consistency could affect safety and longevity.

Environmental conditions posed further challenges. Changing humidity levels and fluctuating temperatures can cause some materials to swell, shrink or delaminate. The client required an underlay offering reliable stability with no variation in thickness, ensuring the finished floor remained perfectly flat and free from movement.

The stadium also demanded compliance with environmental, air-quality and fire-rating standards, as well as endorsement from the Australasian Timber Flooring Association (ATFA). On top of this, long-term termite resistance and high fixing strength were essential for durability.

With all these requirements, the chosen underlay needed to be engineered with precision and proven to perform in high-pressure environments.

The Solution: STRUCTApanel® Smooth 12mm

To meet these exacting demands, Action Venue Systems installed 1,200 sheets of STRUCTApanel® Smooth 12mm in two layers across the entire stadium. The design incorporated rubber movement balls beneath the lower layer, allowing the system to absorb shock while maintaining strong, even load distribution.

STRUCTApanel® Smooth 12mm delivered:

• Superior flatness and stability across all sheets.
• No risk of internal delamination.
• Reliable H2 termite protection for long-term performance.
• High fixing capacity, supporting a secure bond with the final timber surface.
• High-density strength, ensuring predictable movement and impact resistance.

Made in Porta’s advanced Oberon manufacturing facility from sustainably certified plantation pine, STRUCTApanel® Smooth 12mm gave the installer full confidence in both structural reliability and environmental credentials.

The panels performed exceptionally during installation, providing the uniformity required for large-scale sporting floors where consistency is critical.

Capabilities that set STRUCTApanel® Apart

STRUCTApanel® Smooth 12mm is engineered for performance, making it suitable not only for elite sports venues but also for a wide range of applications where stability, durability and consistency matter.

Key benefits include:

• High-density construction for reliable load-bearing performance.
• Consistency sheet to sheet, supporting precision installations.
• Flat, stable surface ideal for flooring underlays.
• High holding strength for nails, staples and adhesives.
• Built-in H2 termite resistance.
• Australian-made using plantation-grown timber.
• Compliance with environmental and air-quality standards.
• Endorsed by ATFA under the Solid Timber Industry Standard.

This combination of durability, performance and sustainability makes STRUCTApanel® Smooth 12mm an outstanding choice for commercial, sporting and high-traffic applications.

A System Proven in the Field

The stadium installation demonstrated the true strengths of STRUCTApanel® Smooth 12mm. The finished floor met all performance expectations, delivering safe, controlled movement underfoot while supporting heavy equipment and unpredictable load cycles.

The consistent thickness and stability of STRUCTApanel® ensured the final timber surface was perfectly flat across the full 1,200 square metres. There was no need for additional levelling or correction, saving both labour hours and cost.

The panel’s durability and termite resistance provide long-term security for facility managers, ensuring the floor will continue to perform through years of events, games and community activity.

This project reinforces STRUCTApanel® Smooth 12mm as a proven, high-performance underlay that delivers reliable results every time.