Well…2024 is behind us. Now it’s time to think about the future. 2025 may seem like a blank slate, but that isn’t entirely true. Just like economists prepare forecasts and fashion designers create trend boards, the building materials industry is looking ahead, too.
From lighting styles to paint colors, suppliers draw on their experiences and observations to predict what the future holds. Of course predictions are never perfect, but they are essential. For design professionals such as yourself, our trend forecasts are like scouting reports. They give you a heads up on the sort of functionality and aesthetics your clients might expect you to provide.
Trend forecasting isn’t a performative act to make suppliers look like they know what they are doing. We depend on accurate forecasts to guide critical decisions. What products to stock? How much inventory is necessary? What sort of schedule or workforce is needed? Suppliers have “skin in the game” when it comes to forecasting, which means we take it seriously. All that being said, here are just a few directions we see in sports flooring that might be helpful for all of us.
Pickleball: Recreation departments want to keep facilities busy and engage all age groups in the community. That’s why pickleball courts continue to be in high demand. Pickleball is a sport that almost any age can play. Broader demographics means more of the community are engaged. Pickleball courts are also compact relative to larger basketball or volleyball courts—more simultaneous matches, more facility usage. From a materials perspective, expect to see requests for resilient surfaces like Abacus’ Padenpor or Tarkett Sports’ Omnisports. Padenpor in particular has been a popular option for new pickleball courts. It has the characteristics that make a quality pickleball court: a low vibration point-elastic response underfoot, shock absorption for comfort, optimal ball rebound, and precise game line markings.
Maximum Utility: This is a long-term trend that we don’t see changing anytime soon. The “basketball” gym is quickly becoming the “basketball-volleyball-pickleball-badminton-aerobics-meeting-cafeteria-jogging” gym. It’s not that the old dedicated basketball gym wasn’t used for other things in the past, but now we are designing spaces with multipurpose functionality in mind. That requires a floor that allows quick transitions between events. It also demands adequate performance properties across multiple sports, static and rolling load tolerance for heavier equipment, and fast indentation recovery from tables and chairs. Did we forget that the floor must create a warm and inviting space, preferably with a real hardwood appearance and clean up easily? These requirements for a successful multipurpose gym may seem like a tall order, but there are some surfaces that check all the boxes. Tarkett’s Omnisports comes to mind. Omnisports has been one of North America’s most popular multipurpose floors, because it fulfills so many of these needs. Padenpor is also an excellent option for maximizing the utility of a gym.
Luxury Lockers: In 2025, we are likely to see locker room designs with more amenities. This trend calls for improvements in four major categories: privacy, security, comfort, and technology. Privacy and security include partitions, personalized spaces, and lockers with strong locks or digital locks integrated with mobile devices. Comfort and technology include relaxing environments, comfy chairs, USB charging stations, and digital display integrations. Anything that makes an athlete feel at home is something worth consideration. Locker room design has become a recruiting tool for universities, signaling that student athletes are valued and appreciated. Abacus Sports Installations offers a variety of locker solutions. To meet the needs of modern athletic programs, don’t underestimate the value of locker room design, and don’t hesitate to contact Abacus Sports for help.