Yas Waterworld Unveils Refreshed Waterpark and Splash Pad

The 2024 renovation at Yas Waterworld in Abu Dhabi, led by WhiteWater, showcases a newly designed splash pad and an updated waterpark area with over 13,000 square feet of Life Floor surfacing. This revitalized water experience, equipped with vibrant Life Floor Inlays, brings a fresh aesthetic and added functionality to the park.

Splash Pad Design: Adding Inlays and Games

The vibrant splash pad uses the surface as a key thematic feature. A striking blue river courses down the pattern's center, bordered by sandy shores and thriving greenery. Bright pops of color are interspersed via Inlays from our Pond and Outdoor Exploration sets to enhance the attraction's theme and add a fun search-and-find style game. A hopscotch board designed into the Life Floor surface provides more traditional play opportunities and expands the possibilities for different play styles.

Marah Fortress: RainFortress by WhiteWater

At Marah Fortress, WhiteWater's RainFortress structure offers guests an immersive experience with desert palace-inspired theming that aligns beautifully with the local landscape. The design features geometric paneling on the platforms that resemble stained glass and strategically placed boulders to add elevated natural elements. Beneath the RainFortress, a Life Floor pattern starts at the center with a sand-colored island motif and radiates outward with teal tones rippling like waves.

A larger-than-life turtle graphic was designed into the Life Floor surface as a navigational tool, guiding guests on where to stand when the thrilling dump bucket is about to be released.

Nearby, a prominent 7-meter dolphin reflects a similar visual signal as an area where families with children can relax and engage with quieter ground sprays. Smaller standard Inlays encourage movement, such as the brightly colored fish leading away from slide exits and back to the entry point to keep the fun going all day.

DURABILITY MADE FOR THE SCORCHING HEAT

Imagine the hottest conditions on earth. Standing on the equator in peak summer UV, during a solstice, in full sunlight. Then, stay there for 750 hours straight. That’s the rigorous testing our tiles withstand as they’re certified for UV Resistance in accordance with NSF/ANSI/CAN 50. And that’s not all - they also have to pass slip-resistance and impact absorption testing after UV tests are complete.

“Life Floor brings a wow factor to the area, which helps better area utilization even in those corners where there are less features on the structure as the guests would relax on the floor and probably not even need sunbeds.”

— Lijo Jose, WhiteWater

Life Floor: Enhancing Guest Experience

According to Lijo Jose of WhiteWater, Life Floor has transformed the space by maximizing guest interaction and comfort, even in quieter corners of the waterpark where features may be fewer. The soft, inviting Life Floor surface encourages guests to relax directly on the flooring, making it an integral part of the waterpark experience.

Aquatics is for everyone regardless of age, ability, or play style. We hear from venues all the time that guests stay longer and rave about the amenities where Life Floor is installed. Caretakers feel invited to get on their kids’ level with our cushioned tiles and truly feel like they can play too.

Whether its sitting and relaxing while surrounded by small floor jets or frolicking through dueling water cannons - our surfaces promote positive experiences and people can play boundlessly as they were meant to do.

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The 2024 renovation at Yas Waterworld, with Marah Fortress and the revitalized Splash Pad, celebrates the regional culture and innovative play, making it a must-visit attraction in Abu Dhabi.

To discover how Life Floor can refresh your venue and skyrocket guest experience, ask us for a complementary design rendering and get started on your project!

Introducing a New Standard for Pool Perimeter Surfaces

In 2024, NSF International published a new section within NSF/ANSI/CAN Standard 50 for surfaces around pool deck perimeters. This section details the criteria that surfacing products meet in order to become certified. Most notably, the standard recommends that pool perimeters should be slip-resistant to increase safety at aquatic facilities.

At Life Floor, we’re enthusiastically embracing this addition to NSF/ANSI/CAN Standard 50 and we’re proud to share that our Ripple texture is certified to this set of criteria for pool perimeter surfaces. From competitive swim schools to therapy pools, this standard brings positive change to our industry and we’re excited to further our mission of making all aquatic spaces safe and beautiful for all people through this opportunity.

The pool perimeter standard is similar to the version in NSF/ANSI/CAN 50 for splash pads, but the primary differences are that this variation does not require surfaces to be cushioned and the testing criteria only applies to non-concrete surfacing materials.

As part of the certification process for pool perimeter surfaces, our tiles are third-party tested to demonstrate high quality safety in real-world applications. They also show aquatic durability necessary for pool amenities. The 5 criteria include:

• Slip-Resistance

• Impermeability

• Cleanability

• UV Resistance

• Chemical Resistance

Life Floor is certified to the standard and meets or exceeds all 5 requirements.

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If you would like to learn more about Life Floor’s products, please contact us to see if Life Floor would be a good fit for your venue.

How Long Will Life Floor Last?

With over 2,000 installations worldwide, Life Floor is trusted by leading brands and is the recommended surface for WhiteWater, Waterplay, and Rain Drop Products. Our tiles are made from a closed cell foam-rubber and we find that partners and customers are often curious about the general lifespan of our surfacing. While we offer a 5-year material warranty on our 3/8” thick tiles, there isn’t a one-size-fits-all answer when it comes to durability. The following are a few factors to consider when assessing Life Floor for different environments.

TRAFFIC

Generally, after 10 million steps, our tiles will start to experience texture fading, reduced cushioning, and can potentially show small micro cracks from pool chemicals and UV exposure.

UV EXPOSURE

UV exposure is the greatest factor affecting durability. We’ve engineered our tiles to last in extreme UV climates like Miami for at least 5 years. If you fall into a climate zone with less UV exposure than climates closest to the equator, you can expect outdoor Life Floor installations to last between 7-10 years.

AVERAGE EXPECTATIONS

Indoor waterpark installations typically last 10-15 years. Outdoor splash pad installations typically last 7-10 years. Geographic location and volume of traffic often play a role in extending or shortening these expectations.

WHAT ABOUT COLD CLIMATES?

Life Floor is engineered to flex with the freeze and thaw cycles of seasons.

The top of Life Floor tiles may expand and contract with high and low temperatures. In winter months, contraction creates wider joints. In summer months, expansion creates tighter joints. Rapid temperature changes and/or wide swings have negligible impact on tile performance after installation. Approved contact cement adhesives keep the base of the tile secured to the underlayment or substrate.

Pictured above is one of our oldest outdoor splash pad installations at Wilderness Resort in Wisconsin Dells. This splash pad has experienced TEN freeze-thaw cycles and is still performing great!

WHAT ABOUT COLOR LOSS?

We love design and we want every surface to look bold and bright for as long as possible. Colors generally fade in sunlight, but we’ve spent over a decade engineering our tiles to increase color longevity.

With our latest product innovations tailer to UV resistance, colors will stay vibrant through the warranty period when facilities follow proper water chemistry protocols and tile maintenance.

Want to learn about how our tiles are third-party tested for durability?
Read about how we meet the criteria for the NSF/ANSI/CAN 50 standard here.

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GET STARTED ON YOUR PROJECT TODAY

With complementary design services and a dedicated team ready to answer any questions, we can’t wait to identify a solution for your surfacing needs. Contact us to get the ball rolling!