Blog

08/04/22 = Creating a Safe, Functional Backyard for Children With Asperger’s

Although Asperger’s has now been folded into a type of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), it is seen as a form of “high-functioning” autism, according to PsychCentral. Kids with Asperger’s don’t have delays with communication and language, essentially. However, they do typically still need the extra care that kids with ASD (and, ultimately, all kids) require: Safety, peace, and simulation are priority needs.

UNITY Surfacing - Children's Playground Surfacing and Asperger's

You could cater to your child’s needs by building them a safe, functional backyard. This could be their retreat – a place where they could learn, grow, play, and feel at home.   

Make it safe

Children with Asperger’s are especially sensitive to light and noise. As such, make sure the backyard space is sensory-proof:

  • Consider building a sheltered playhouse or treehouse that doesn’t let in a lot of noise and is comfortable.
  • Plant trees and bushes to create a “buffer privacy zone” to minimize noise from the outside. Keep in mind that this type of landscaping can also add value if you want to sell your home.
  • Not all noise can be avoided – that’s where special earplugs and other gear can come in handy.
  • Consider an ADA compliant unitary, interlocking rubber tile system to keep the children safe.

Make it peaceful

Your child may get stimulated easily (in a negative way) outside. You could make your backyard a soothing, healing oasis to counteract this:

  • Garden: A garden will teach your kid some important skills. It can also be a fun activity. Lastly, having plants around is soothing and healing.
  • Water: Kids with Asperger’s love water. Incorporating a water fountain or similar water feature can help soothe frayed nerves and help them “flow.”
  • Sunlight: Don’t just keep them in the playhouse – allow them to have plenty of vitamin D. It may help with their symptoms.

Offer stimulation

There’s bad stimulation and the good, constructive kind. Make sure to include fun things for your kids to do:

  • Swinging: Swings are not only fun but they are also known to be therapeutic and boost physical and mental growth.
  • Sandbox: Sandboxes offer countless hours of enjoyment. Also, you guessed it, they’re therapeutic.
  • Crafts: Outdoors crafting is an excellent way to keep kids entertained and engaged. It’s also a wonderful option to keep children busy if you’re working from home.
  • Fun activities: With clever tweaks, your backyard can help your child develop motor functions, sensory tolerance, hand-eye coordination, and focus and concentration.  
  • Turf-Top Rubber Tiles: For children with sensory issues, it offers plenty of stimulation when running your hands through the blades of grass.

If you intend to install swing sets or other types of play equipment, consider installing a soft, unitary safety surfacing to from Unity Surfacing to help keep them safe.

Conclusion

Building a safe, functional, and sensory backyard can give your child a peaceful retreat, a place where they can grow, learn, and be at peace. People love special, beautiful places. It could be a win-win on multiple levels.

Image via Unsplash

07/05/22 = Socially Distancing On School Rooftops

Here at the Children's Lab School, we could not be happier with the installation of our Unity Surfacing tile system. Our rooftop play yard had a surface made up of concrete tile pavers that was completely unsafe.

The Unity Surfacing rubber tiles are colorful, easy to clean, and most of all safe! Our children love playing in the areas designated for different activities by the color of the tiles.

The installation went quickly and smoothly, and the final result looks fantastic. We're looking forward to using the product again for our 2nd Floor play yard. 

All the best,

Brooke Barr, Principal

Indoor Fitness Facility at Apartment Building


09/20/21 = Indoor Fitness Facility


We would like to thank our client for sending in this image of a fitness facility that they have successfully completed recently with our products. 

This 630 sq. ft. area used our 1 3/4" thick Dual Density tiles in Black and Tan/Beige.

Soon, there will be fitness equipment installed in this area to bring everything together.

We invite you to look through our website for other images and projects that have utilized our rubberized safety surfacing, flooring and paver products in applications such as this.

Please click on the Product Data Sheet for more information about these items. Or simply click here to view other fitness facilities that have installed this wonderful product.


Indoor Fitness Facility at Apartment Building


8/23/21 = 3 Important Considerations When Designing a Building's Rooftop

When designing a building, the rooftop tends to be one of the most underutilized areas. Many see the roof as nothing more than a way to enclose the entire structure and provide protection from the elements. But, if you want it to be, a rooftop can be so much more than that. 

Blog Update Regarding Unity Rubber Pavers on Rooftops

Take, for instance, buildings with rooftop areas used for recreation or other purposes. You can really do a lot with a rooftop and use it to not only make the most of the space you have but even add real value to the property itself. 

So, in case you’re designing a building and you don’t know what to do with the roof, let’s take a look at some ideas and considerations to keep in mind.


  1. Playground

For commercial buildings where people work, it’s not uncommon to find a kid’s room, filled with toys and other things to keep kids occupied while their parents are busy. And, while these kid’s rooms are usually found inside the building, you can also use the roof to build a rooftop playground. 

Unity Rooftop Playground Using Diamond Pattern

Of course, safety should be your foremost consideration when building a rooftop playground. On top of making sure the roof is supported by extra beams and structures to make sure weight distribution is handled correctly, you also need barriers around the edge of the roof. These barriers should be immovable, unclimbable, and high enough so that kids can’t reach the top. 

You should also include handrails where necessary, to aid children in their efforts to get around and stay upright. Also, make sure the playground equipment is far enough away from the edges of the roof that even the most athletic child cannot leap from any point onto the edge of the roof, as kids are known to do. 

If you are looking to design a stunning rooftop, look no further than Unity Surfacing Systems for all your rooftop pavers needs.


  1. Garden

Rooftop gardens can act as a great stress reliever and recreation option for those who frequent a building. Aside from soaking up a lot of water and making it that much harder for water to seep inside the roof itself, gardens bear actual fruit and vegetables that people can harvest and use as they see fit. 

Unity Rubber Pavers for Blog Update

One material you should use along with a rooftop garden, however, is some type of additional flat roof insulation. This material will not only help keep outside elements from penetrating your rooftop but will also help with energy efficiency as well. Flat roof insulation is available in a variety of compressive strengths and R-values to fit whatever your roofing needs may be. 


  1. Pergola

Pergolas are a great place to relax and lounge a bit, maybe while enjoying some lunch or taking a smoke break. Rooftop pergola design ideas range from standard, slatted-roof pergolas with seating options underneath them, to shaded pergolas, enclosed pergolas, and even pergolas with electric louvers to help block sun and wind when needed. 

Unity's TPV Top Tile Using Custom Blended TPV Chips

Rooftops can be especially windy places, so we recommend opting for a pergola with some type of protection against those high altitude winds if you want to get the most comfort and enjoyment out of your rooftop pergola. Windscreens, louvers, and enclosed sides are all excellent wind mitigation strategies.


Get the Most Out of Your Rooftop with These Neat Ideas

Flat roofs are an opportunity to add additional functionality to a building. Whether you add value in the form of a rooftop garden, a pergola, or a rooftop playground, you’re sure to reap the benefits of using this often neglected area of a building. 

Parking Garage that can be converted to usable space with Unity Pavers

As long as you put the right protections in place like flat roof insulation and weight-support systems, the roof can be an underrated and valuable aspect of your building. 

If you are looking to design a stunning rooftop, look no further than Unity Surfacing Systems for all your rooftop pavers needs.


Todd Gillman is the content director for the Innovative Building Materials blog and a content writer for the building materials industry. He is focused on helping fellow homeowners, contractors, and architects discover materials and methods of construction that save money, improve energy efficiency, and increase property value.


07/01/2021 = Mayor Unveils Transformation of Greenville Park

Mayor Steven M. Fulop joins City Council members, Jersey City Parks Coalition, Friends of Ferris Triangle Park, and members of the community to officially cut the ribbon on the newly renovated Ferris Triangle Park - located in Jersey City’s Greenville section - consisting of a brand new, ADA compliant playground area, a splash pad with push-button activation, among other much-needed upgrades throughout the park.

UNITY Surfacing on Greenville Park Playground


8/14/2020 = Turf-Top Tiles on Rooftop

Introducing Unity's "Tuft-Top" Tiles, a new, versatile rubber paver system that makes it easy to enhance the look and functionality of your space. It was developed to bring modular, cost-effective and easy-to-install products to customers in a time when defining quick, comfortable and "socially distance" areas of outside enjoyment is more pressing than ever.

This product can be installed directly onto your rooftop membrane, fitness area and/or playground without the need of foam backings, drainage mats, pedestals, etc. by simply engaging the female interlocks with the male interlocks and snapping them into place. For high wind-zone areas, glue/adhesive can be applied to the male interlocking joints for added strength and security.

Synthetic Turf Tiles on Residential Rooftop Building


3/27/2020 = Covid-19


Over 1,000 organizations have supported the NRPA's statement on keeping parks and open spaces accessible during the COVID-19 health pandemic while recommending social distancing and other safe practices.

The creative manipulation of our safety surfacing, flooring and paver products invites physical play while keeping people on the ground where the risk of falling is eliminated thanks to the use of our interlocking playground tiles inlaid with hopscotch designs.

It is truly something to think about when designing playground projects both now and in the future.

Personal responsibility for one's own safety by being vigilant in the presence of each other is still very important.


Safety Surfacing Tiles that invite intergenerational play while keeping folks on the ground


Subscribe

Via Email:    

Archive



$(function(){ $('a[href$=".pdf"]').attr('target','_blank'); $('iframe').iframesResponsive(); $('#maincolumn > div > table').addClass('table-responsive'); });//end ready