IN2 Innovation Project Spotlight
More than Turf protection
Signature Systems creates products that transform stadiums from sporting arenas to concert venues, graduation ceremonies, corporate event spaces, or charity galas by offering superior protection for natural, synthetic, and hybrid turf.
Signature Systems approached IN2 Innovation for a holistic redesign of turf protection, enabling systemic improvements revolving around the stadium managers responsible for the turf, and the technicians who install these systems.
Enter OmniDeck, a portable flooring solution that protects expensive turf while keeping visitors safe and comfortable. OmniDeck gets its name from the product’s multi-directional assembly feature, thanks to an intentional design that prevents installation bottlenecks commonly encountered with other systems.
In the athletic world, turf protection is essential. With some stadiums costing upward of $1.5 billion to construct, many are built as multi-use facilities so stadium owners can maximize their investment. As a result, stadiums are used year-round and will often host a concert one week, a football game the following week, and a monster truck rally after that.
The changeover time for these events has to be quick, and owners can’t rip up the turf whenever there is an event. OmniDeck is designed for just that. The panel lays over the turf, distributing the load and protecting the grass from people walking over it.
Identifying Opportunities
The early stage of research wasn’t about finding solutions as much as it was about finding as many problems that needed to be addressed. That meant getting into the field to observe installations to identify every touchpoint possible and then determining if the current solution for each was the best or if it could be improved.
The research uncovered several areas for improvement. The first was freight and storage, which was solved by reconfiguring panels to be 3’x6’ and adding an indexing feature, meaning that panels stacked on top of each other lock into place. The new design allows for more efficient stacking, which optimizes shipping when moving panels from one jobsite to another. Improving stacking and storage had an added benefit since workers didn’t have to strap panels to pallets as tightly with ratchet straps.
A second area identified was time; the changeover time for converting stadiums from football games to concert venues back to football games must be quick. While panels are necessary, turf managers, especially in natural turf stadiums, want coverage on the turf for a minimum amount of time. Likewise, installers want to lay down panels quickly and move to their next job.
Designing Solutions
Locking Mechanism and Puzzle Piece Design
The puzzle-piece configuration allows the panels to fit together easily. Additionally, OmniDeck’s new 3’x6’ size allows installers to work around fixed obstacles such as goalposts. Previous deck panels can be an awkward size, which can make it difficult to plan for obstacles such as walls or goalposts. The research phase found that many installers would either take a saw and cut panels or utilize plywood as a workaround when dealing with obstacles or barriers, resulting in weak spots in the turf’s protection.
Installers previously locked turf protection systems into place using a hex key they had to insert into the panel, and without any visual cues, they didn’t know if they were actually secure. OmniDeck’s locking mechanism is much more intuitive thanks to built-in cam locks, which secure with the twist of a T-bar. Once installation is completed, supervisors can look down the line to ensure all panels are secure, reducing the chances they will break when uninstalling. Additionally, if the lock does break, it can be quickly replaced with a couple of screws.
Light- and Heavy-Duty Panels
The heavy-duty panels weigh 58.5 pounds, meaning two people can easily install panels. Previous designs used what was commonly referred to as an “overlapping flange,” which had to be aligned and could be a time-consuming process. Omnideck eliminates the flange for the puzzle-piece design, significantly reducing installation time.
OmniDeck offers light-duty and heavy-duty panels. Heavy-duty panels consist of upper and lower shells welded together to increase rigidity. Light-duty panels are designed for natural turf stadiums and include a honeycomb design on the underside for minimum impact on the grass. The light-duty and heavy-duty panels can be used together, with many using heavy-duty panels in high-traffic areas or areas where heavy equipment will rest.
Ergonomic Handholds, Translucence, and Superior Strength
Ergonomic handholds were added on the panel’s underside for easy lifting and, as a result, also increased safety by reducing the chance of a panel slipping. For natural turfs, a translucent option is available that allows sunlight through. In addition, OmniDeck is designed and tested for superior strength and can withstand substantial weight loads while protecting the integrity of the turf underneath.
Impact: A New Panel
OmniDeck significantly improves turnaround time, allowing stadiums to increase revenue for non-sporting events such as car shows, festivals, and concerts. By partnering with IN2, SS offers a product that is faster to install, cheaper to ship from site to site, and as an added benefit, sized so that calculating how many panels are needed is much easier. OmniDeck panels are used in stadiums worldwide, including Baku Olympic Stadium, U.S. Bank Stadium, Tropicana Field, MetLife Stadium, and many more.
Stadiums bring unforgettable experiences to the masses, and the panels are the foundation for that experience. Everyone involved, from the OmniDeck team to the stadium management team to the installer, helps bring it to life.