Complete replacement of Cluj Arena sports turf

In anticipation of the upcoming sporting events – Sportsfestival and the European Football Championship in the U21 month – we have started the works for the complete replacement of the turf used for internal and external competitions of the Cluj Arena stadium. ECO GARDEN CONSTRUCT participated in the tender organized by the owner of the arena, Cluj County Council, as leader of the association together with 4 other companies from the construction and installation sector: GREEN CITY CARE, SPORT FIELDS, HOBBIT INTEGRAL, ELIO INDUSTRIAL. Effective duration<span lang=”en-RO”>ă</span> The duration of the works foreseen in the contract was 3 weeks and the works required in the specifications required the synchronized collaboration of all those involved.

The following works were carried out:

• Decropping existing land and storage in the form of rolls;
• Uncovering porous sandy substrate (to a depth of about 35 cm) and draining the uncovered substrate;
• Replacement of the field heating/defrosting system (flexible electric field heating cables, field temperature sensors, field temperature control thermostats, temperature control thermostats, resistance connection boxes – 6 field resistance connection boxes on the grassed area, located about 1m from the tartan-covered surface), including recovery of the existing de-icing system – over 36 km/l of cables;
• Laying of a porous sand substrate (0.01mm-0.4mm grain size – 20cm thickness, respectively 0.4mm-0.8mm – 11cm thickness and peat layer);
• Verification of the field de-icing installation (flexible electrical heating cables, connection cables between resistors and electrical panels, field temperature sensors, field de-icing electrical panels);
• Check the drainage and irrigation system;

Lawn installation and maintenance products covered the entire 7900 square meters of the field, as well as the proper operation and maintenance of systems, facilities, equipment that are intended to maintain an environment with optimal conditions for the development of turf.

Maintenance products will also be used for the grass on the slope around the stadium on an area of 5400 square meters.

Technical characteristics of the roll turf needed to replace existing turf:

• The seed combination – certified with a quality certificate, used to obtain the turf rolls was made of Lolium perenne 30%, Poa pratensis 70%, substrate composition 80% sand, 20% organic matter, turf density 98%.
• The turf is mature, minimum 16 months – maximum 18 months old, healthy (no patches), densely rooted, acclimatized, resistant to heavy traffic, dark green color.
• <span”>Roll turf is a blend of seed selected for its tolerance to trampling, replanting speed, winter hardiness, tolerance to low mowing height, high density.</span”>
• The turf is laid on a sandy substrate, the last 5 cm of the substrate has a 1:9 peat content which is enriched with NPK complex and mineral substances necessary for the root system.
• The turf is without an intermediate layer of plant sedimentation (no touch layer).
• The turf was delivered in the form of big-rolls with a minimum width of 0.70 m and a variable length between 10 – 18 m. Variations depend on the moisture content of the soil at the time of stripping. The installation was done with special sports turf rollers, attached to the tractor and fitted with turf tires. The turf roll is at least 4 cm thick (1-2 cm soil layer and 2-3 cm aerial vegetation (grass blade).