Move your city.

Slack­li­ning in public spaces

Adver­to­rial

 

 

BLOACS
”

About

Slack­li­ning involves balan­cing on an appro­xi­m­ately five centi­metre-wide slack­line band that is stret­ched between two anchor points at knee height. This sporting trend is really popular because, in addi­tion to promo­ting balance, it also helps with concen­tra­tion and coor­di­na­tion. The problem up till now has been with the anchor points because considerable forces occur in the slack­line.

Thanks to the envi­ron­men­tally-friendly and cost-effec­tive stan­dar­di­s­a­tion of the compon­ents, slack­lines are now conquering our cities – as seating and sports equip­ment combined.

The driving force of the move­ment is BLOACS.

Slacklining

The sports and its name come from the American clim­bing scene of the early 1970s. “Slack­line” means a “sagging rope” or “loose line”.

In the related field of tigh­trope walking, the rope is stret­ched taut. The slack­line, on the other hand, behaves dyna­mi­cally and requires constant compen­sa­tion.

Another reason why slack­li­ning is blazing such a trail is that you don’t need any previous know­ledge. Balan­cing on the wobbly bands is great fun for all ages and can be learned quickly and easily. If the system has been installed at play­grounds and other meeting places – which is a logical thing to do  – you can give it a go when out and about with friends.

BLOACS

Behind the stan­dar­di­s­a­tion of slack­li­ning is BLOACS, a young and inno­va­tive provider of trend sports modules for exer­cise areas, based in Cologne. BLOACS brings complete slack­line systems to our urban envi­ron­ment: simple, safe and acces­sible to ever­yone.

These systems also include the anchor points for the slack­line. So, trees are not needed or damaged, and you don’t need foun­da­tions either. They are easy to set up, operate and main­tain.

The all-year-round usable SLACK-BLOACS are being deve­loped and updated all the time. For spring 2021, new systems with edge protec­tion, fresh colours for the surfaces of the concrete blocks and slack­lines in a variety of colours will be on the market.

SLACK-BLOACS

The basic version of SLACK-BLOACS consists of two foun­da­tion blocks and the slack­line band. The two blocks are both an anchor point and a bench. This is extre­mely prac­tical because, in many cities, the use of trees as anchor points is not allowed.

Thanks to its small foot­print, a system like this is an attrac­tive addi­tion to almost any form of public space: play­grounds and sports fields, skate parks, green areas, picnic areas, open spaces, gardens, company premises and dere­lict land. These systems are also attrac­tive, space-saving and econo­mical for tempo­rary use at events, in market­places and in school play­grounds.

BLOACS

Basic system

The basis of every system is the BLOACS foun­da­tion blocks which serve as a safe and perma­nent attach­ment option and at the same time as seating.

The basic system consists of two foun­da­tion blocks and the slack­line band. The foun­da­tion blocks measure 1.8 m x 0.6 m x 0.6 m (L x W x H). Each stone weighs 1.5 tonnes. The side surfaces (class 2 exposed concrete) are smooth and grey and the surface of the seat is non-slip. Each block has a shaft with an anchor point for the tensio­ning ratchet and edge protec­tion on the front edge. The tensio­ning ratchets with U‑lock prevent unaut­ho­rised access and unin­ten­tional adjus­t­ment of the tensio­ning system.

The slack­line cannot be cut and is flame retar­dant. This makes it vandal-proof and suitable for perma­nent use in public spaces. Slack­lines are available from 3 m to 6 m in length.

Extension

Each addi­tional foun­da­tion block from the third one onwards extends the system by one section. In this case, the cut-resistant and flame retar­dant Bloacs slack­line can be replaced by wider rubber bands (10 or 20 cm wide), if neces­sary. The surface of the seat can be made of wood (e.g. moun­tain larch) or recy­cled plastic or they can be rubbe­rised for safety .

If addi­tional protec­tion is required, e.g. when used in day-care centres, nursery schools, primary schools or on play­grounds, all edges are given an addi­tional protec­tive cove­ring.

For reasons of marke­ta­bi­lity and refi­nan­cing, it is also possible to design the side surfaces to have Dibond alumi­nium panels with indi­vi­dual graphics, logos etc. The blocks can be desi­gned in a wide variety of colours.

Details

The foun­da­tion blocks are made of high-quality concrete (C30/37, EC class 2 grey/smooth) and are bevelled on all sides. M16 threaded sleeves for scre­wing in lifting loops make it easy to attach a chain suspen­sion for setting up. Special tools such as precast grip­pers are not required. The anchor points are embedded in the BLOACS foun­da­tion blocks, meaning that they are protected from the weather.

The BLOACS slack­line is atta­ched by using a ratchet to the red, heavy-duty ring nut (anchor point) mounted on the front side. The ratchets are secured with a U‑lock against unaut­ho­rised access and unin­ten­tional adjus­t­ment. All metal parts are hot-dip galva­nised, powder-coated or made of stain­less steel.

The maximum cons­truc­tion height is 60 cm. Fall protec­tion measures are ther­e­fore not neces­sary.

Standards

The BLOACS slack­line systems are sports and leisure equip­ment and are deve­loped and manu­fac­tured accor­ding to the follo­wing stan­dards:

  • DIN 79400: 2012 slack­line systems (anchor points, ratchet)
  • DIN EN 1176–1: 2017 play­ground equip­ment (supporting struc­ture)
  • DIN EN 16899: 2018 parkour faci­li­ties (concrete element design)

The deve­lo­p­ment of the BLOACS slack­line system (foun­da­tion blocks, anchor points, ratchets, slack­line band) has been accom­pa­nied by Martin Zeller, the tech­nical inspec­tion company, through exten­sive tests and final inspec­tions since 2016. Market readi­ness has been confirmed.

Costs

The costs of this kind of system are plea­singly low and clearly calculable. €3,750 will buy you

  • 2 BLOACS foun­da­tion blocks
  • 1 BLOACS slack­line (3 m – 6 m)
  • 2 ratchets with lock.

The side surfaces can have indi­vi­du­ally-desi­gned motifs or adver­ti­sing on them. For this, Dibond alumi­nium panels (1.8 m x 0.6 m) with a UV protec­tive coating are used. This extra is available from €125 per panel.

Conclusion

When desig­ning sports and leisure acti­vi­ties in the city, the symbiosis between sporting appeal and quality of expe­ri­ence, on the one hand, and a low space requi­re­ment on the other is beco­ming incre­asingly important.

Slack­li­ning is an important element in making not only our play­grounds and sports fields but also our urban sites and spaces as versa­tile and attrac­tive as possible. Slack­li­ning brings a low-thres­hold and appe­aling range of exer­cises to people in the city.

One that doesn’t cost a lot.

We did this.

Project data

Supplier

BLOACS
Bernd Lohmüller
Zülpi­cherstr. 381
50935 Köln

Photograph

BLOACS
Marc Wolbold

Author

Johannes Bühl­be­cker
More Sports Media

© BLOACS

Photos

Contact

How can we be helpful?

Address
More Sports Media
Am Weit­kamp 17
D‑44795 Bochum

Phone
+49 234 5466 0374
+49 172 4736 332

Mail
contact@moresports.network

GDPR Cookie Consent with Real Cookie Banner