Projects / 7/4/2025

When sport revitalises an urban space

From multi-sport courts to synthetic grass pitches, this project is an example of sustainable redevelopment and collaboration between public and private

Opened in June 2024, the Trieste Campus is a landmark example of sustainable urban redevelopment through sport. Covering over 5,360 m², the project transformed abandoned areas into multifunctional courts for tennis, padel, pickleball, basketball, and volleyball. Developed through a public-private partnership, the campus takes inspiration from U.S. university models by integrating sports with education and social growth. Mapei played a central role by supplying advanced solutions like the Mapecoat TNS Multisport Comfort system for outdoor courts and Ultrabond Turf 2 Stars Pro for synthetic grass.

Inaugurated in June 2024, in the presence of the Trieste authorities and the Director Dr. Andrea Razzi, the Trieste Campus is the new sports center of the Friuli capital and covers over 5,360 m². The result of a public-private partnership between Trieste City Council and various sports associations, the project transformed abandoned areas into modern, polyfunctional spaces dedicated to sports at every level.

Inspiration for the structure came from the approach used for American university campuses and offers not only areas for sports, but also spaces for studying and afterschool activities, highlighting the importance of combining physical activity and personal growth.

The Trieste Campus is the result of a public-private partnership between Trieste City Council and various sports associations. It offers modern, polyfunctional spaces dedicated to sports at every level.

Multi-sport courts and surfaces of excellence

Excelling amongst the outdoor areas are the courts for sports such as tennis, padel, pickleball, basketball and volleyball, all created using materials and technologies of the latest generation. Mapei played a key role in creating the sports surfaces for the campus by supplying cutting-edge solutions that guarantee excellent performance and durability.

Mapei supplied high quality products that contributed to complete courts for playing different sports.

Mapei’s contribution

The Mapecoat TNS Multisport Comfort system, a highly elastic, multi-layered, acrylic resin-based system in water dispersion system, was used for the pickleball and basketball courts at Trieste Campus, a solution designed for coating bituminous or cementitious conglomerate sports surfaces. At the base of the system, the Mapecomfort R polyurethane rubber pad was bonded to the substrate with Ultrabond Sport adhesive, ensuring a significant reduction in impact trauma, improving athlete comfort and guaranteeing high elasticity.

Mapecoat TNS Multisport Comfort system involved the use of Mapecoat TNS Primer EPW, Mapecoat TNS White Base Coat HV, Mapecoat TNS Base Color and Mapecoat TNS Color. This system allows changes in direction to be made quickly and safely, as well as offering optimum resistance to wear and atmospheric agents, properties that are crucial for outdoor sports courts. The process was completed by applying a coat of Mapecoat TNS Base Color finish, available in a variety of color shades, and Mapecoat TNS Line to mark out the courts. The use of this system enabled bespoke, highly functional surfaces to be created with an attractive look. Thanks to the coating work carried out by B-Trend with Mapei pr, the existing surfaces were transformed into high performance courts, guaranteeing users a safe and comfortable playing experience.

Ultrabond Turf 2 Stars Pro was used for the padel courts, a two-component polyurethane adhesive specifically developed for installing synthetic grass in sports surfaces. This adhesive guarantees a strong, long-lasting bond and is a sustainable solution because it is solvent-free. Its ability to fill cracks up to two centimetres deep ensured the surface was perfectly flat before applying the synthetic grass covering. Thanks to this technology the rolls of synthetic grass adhered perfectly to the substrate to create a stable and high-performance surface, in line with the biomechanical requirements of such a fast-growing sport as padel.

Ultrabond Turf 2 Stars Pro was used for the padel courts, a two-component polyurethane adhesive specifically developed for installing synthetic grass in sports surfaces.

A result that looks to the future

The project is just the first stage of a journey that has other developments planned, such as the renovation of the historic gym for basketball and volleyball and the transformation of an outdoor swimming pool into an arena for water polo. With the support of Mapei, Trieste Campus has become a virtuous example of refurbishment and innovation, a model to be adopted for other sports complexes in Italy and abroad.