Tenpin bowling is seeing a resurgence in popularity in recent years, as the industry seeks to evolve to meet the needs of the next generation.
hether it’s 1950’s American retro decor, VIP lanes and cocktails delivered via app, or the transformation of single activity venues into mixed entertainment centres that include bowling alongside arcades, films, games, and restaurants, everyone is finding something that they like.
The growth in tenpin bowling as part of a wider entertainment offering – where games are played just a wall away from people eating their dinner, playing pool, watching a film or even singing karaoke – has upped the need for high performance acoustic isolation as standard, to ensure a good quality day or night out for all, as well as optimising usable space.
This demand has led Farrat to launch a niche range of products developed from our highly successful range of cinema acoustic solutions. BowlFLOOR has been designed specifically to meet the growing needs of leisure operators and developers looking for the acoustic isolation of bowling floors.
The unique challenge of acoustic isolation in bowling alleys is that there are three widely varying load profiles across a bowling lane; the approach where players stand, the lanes themselves, and the ‘pinsetter’ where the pins are positioned. In addition, there is the very low frequency vibrational energy induced by a bowling ball impact.
Farrat’s range of BowlFLOOR products are manufactured to ISO standards at our Altrincham site in Greater Manchester. BowlFLOOR LITE, BowlFLOOR PRO, and BowlFLOOR MAX, and offer different levels of isolation to meet the level of acoustic isolation required for the environment. Our specialist engineers assist developers, contractors and architects in selecting the most appropriate specification.
Commenting on this growing market Farrat’s Senior Project Delivery Manager Neil Wilson said. “We’ve seen a much wider variety of bowling alley projects as they are being incorporated into adapted spaces such as old department stores or large multi-entertainment centres where developers are looking to fit numerous activities into a confined space.”
He adds “we have also seen more ’boutique’ bowling alleys within bars in city centres which also provide a Food and Beverage offering. In each case we assess the environment and recommend the most appropriate and cost-efficient solution to achieve the necessary acoustic isolation to ensure a quality customer experience.”
To date Farrat have supplied BowlFLOOR systems to market leading bowling operators including Hollywood Bowl, Superbowl, and Yalla! Bowling as well as the largest bowling equipment provider in the world, QubicaAMF. BowlFLOOR systems are designed to fit easily into any development schedule with straightforward installation guidance and follow up consultancy provided by their dedicated engineering and installation teams. Wilson concludes. “We also offer a full installation service for projects requiring this expertise in the UK as well as global on-site installation support and training.”
Farrat are due to launch a refreshed brand and new website in April as part of a 10-year growth plan.