Multi-purpose hall

A school or community hall: sport in the morning, assembly in the afternoon, a concert on Saturday.

Usage class: Multi-Purpose Hall
Governed by: Breadth. No single sport governs.
Sports scored: 12

A multi-purpose hall has no governing sport, so the method has to be stated rather than assumed: score every system on twelve named rows of KTL's own ratings matrix. Do that and four systems tie at the top, and the synthetic build KTL recommend for this room comes last of the nine columns on their own ratings.

Nothing governs this room. A basketball court answers to one sport and a ballet studio to one; a hall answers to whatever the timetable puts on it, and then takes stacking chairs on a Friday. So the scoring set has to be declared, not implied. KTL's own sport list for a multi-purpose hall names ten sports, and one of them, netball, has no row anywhere in their ratings matrix. We score the other nine and add the three matrix rows a hall genuinely uses: gymnastics, table tennis and multiple usage. Twelve rows, three points for very suitable down to none for unsuitable, 36 available. FlexiPRO 12 V3, PRO III, PRO II V2 and Multiflex Advanced V2 all reach 35, and nothing else does.

The scoring catches KTL disagreeing with themselves. Their usage class for a multi-purpose hall recommends FlexiPRO 21 with vinyl, PU or Lino. Vinyl and PU are exactly the coverings their own certificate line ties to the 6-9 mm resilient, combi-elastic EN 14904 C4 result, and that build scores 18 out of 36 across these twelve rows: less suitable for basketball, futsal, gymnastics, wheelchair basketball, indoor hockey and table tennis, and unsuitable for squash. The same FlexiPRO 21 subfloor under a 2-4 mm non-resilient covering is EN 14904 A4, area-elastic, and scores 30. The hall recommendation does not distinguish the two. KTL do make a distinction one class up, where the arena entry for FlexiPRO 21 is qualified as not for basketball or squash; the hall entry carries no such qualification on the same ratings. Lino, meanwhile, appears in the recommendation and in neither certificate line, so what class it produces is not published at all.

Load class then does the work performance could not. KTL define the hall load case as ball games, racket games, a wide range of sports, standard load such as transport of equipment, and cultural events. Telescopic seatings on floors and stage floors appear only under Large Arena. That is an omission and not a prohibition, so the honest test is what will actually cross this floor rather than what a class letter permits. On that test, standard point and rolling load is a specification for this room rather than a compromise, which is why Multiflex Advanced V2 is the wrong floor for an arena and the right one here. It is also the only system KTL name on their hall list and leave off their arena list. If the hall genuinely takes retractable seating or scissor-lift access, it is not a multi-purpose hall in KTL's sense and the answer changes.

Squash is the row that produces the top four, and it is worth saying what happens without it. Both portable systems and both FlexiPRO 21 builds are rated unsuitable for squash and Multi Clip only suitable, while the four leaders are all very suitable. Take that row out and six systems tie at 32: the four leaders, Multi Clip and Portable PRO Summit V2, with Portable PRO one point behind on basketball, where it is rated suitable rather than very suitable. Squash realistically wants its own sealed court. So unless squash is genuinely in the brief, the sport grid separates almost nothing, and load class, build height and certification are the whole decision.

What is left is height and paperwork. The four leaders run 39 mm for FlexiPRO 12 V3, 52 mm for Multiflex Advanced V2, 64 mm for PRO II V2 (86-144 mm on KTL wedges) and 76 mm for PRO III (96-156 mm on wedges), against door thresholds, floor sockets and store transitions that are usually already built. Two of the four carry EN 14904 A4 with both a FIBA licence and BWF Grade 1 International Elite: Multiflex Advanced V2 on FIBA 2020 Level 1 licence WF73-02, and PRO II V2 on WF73-01. Multiflex Advanced V2 is the shallower of those two, at the load class this room actually imposes.

The manufacturer’s own ratings, filtered to this room.

Read straight from their matrix at render time, so nothing here can drift from what they publish. The systems we would put forward are marked.

Suitability by system for multi-purpose hall
System	Basketball	Badminton	Handball	Futsal	Volleyball	Indoor hockey	Wheelchair basketball	Squash	Pickleball	Gymnastics	Table tennis	Multiple usage
Multiflex Advanced V2A4 · 52 mm	Very suitable	Very suitable	Very suitable	Very suitable	Suitable	Very suitable	Very suitable	Very suitable	Very suitable	Very suitable	Very suitable	Very suitable
PRO II V2A4 · 64 mm	Very suitable	Very suitable	Very suitable	Very suitable	Suitable	Very suitable	Very suitable	Very suitable	Very suitable	Very suitable	Very suitable	Very suitable
FlexiPRO 12 V3A4 · 39 mm	Very suitable	Very suitable	Very suitable	Very suitable	Suitable	Very suitable	Very suitable	Very suitable	Very suitable	Very suitable	Very suitable	Very suitable
Multi Clip SystemA3 · 32 mm	Very suitable	Very suitable	Very suitable	Very suitable	Suitable	Very suitable	Very suitable	Suitable	Very suitable	Very suitable	Very suitable	Very suitable
FlexiPRO 21 + hard coveringA4 · 26 mm	Suitable	Very suitable	Very suitable	Very suitable	Suitable	Very suitable	Very suitable	Unsuitable	Very suitable	Very suitable	Very suitable	Suitable
FlexiPRO 21 + elastic coveringC4 · 26 mm	Less suitable	Suitable	Very suitable	Less suitable	Very suitable	Less suitable	Less suitable	Unsuitable	Suitable	Less suitable	Less suitable	Suitable
PRO IIIA4 · 76 mm	Very suitable	Very suitable	Very suitable	Very suitable	Suitable	Very suitable	Very suitable	Very suitable	Very suitable	Very suitable	Very suitable	Very suitable
Portable PRO Summit V2A3 · 44 mm	Very suitable	Very suitable	Very suitable	Very suitable	Suitable	Very suitable	Very suitable	Unsuitable	Very suitable	Very suitable	Very suitable	Very suitable
Portable PROA4 · 44 mm	Suitable	Very suitable	Very suitable	Very suitable	Suitable	Very suitable	Very suitable	Unsuitable	Very suitable	Very suitable	Very suitable	Very suitable

Three squares very suitable, two suitable, one less suitable, a bar unsuitable. The manufacturer’s own ratings, filtered to this room. A sport with no row in their matrix is marked as such rather than left blank.

What we would specify.

Recommended, the multi-purpose hall floor

Multiflex Advanced V2

EN 14904 A452 mmStandard loadFIBA WF73-02BWF Grade 1

Two-strip solid hardwood parquet, 22/20 mm, over a low-profile batten system with integrated progressive shock absorption, 52 mm in total. EN 14904 A4, area-elastic, FIBA 2020 Level 1 licence WF73-02, BWF Grade 1 International Elite, standard point and rolling load. It scores 35 out of 36 across the twelve rows, level with the three high-load systems. The one thing it appears to lack against them, high point and rolling load, is the one thing KTL's hall load case does not ask for, and it is the only system KTL name on their recommended list for a multi-purpose hall and leave off their large arena list. Residual risk: standard load is a real ceiling, and KTL specify it over levelled concrete or an existing sports floor, so levelling the slab is a separate scope item.

1 millimetres. 7-layer UV coating + site game lines
22 millimetres. Solid hardwood 2-strip parquet, 22/20 mm
29 millimetres. MFA battens + integrated elastic layer
Levelled concrete slab

52 mm system height

Load headroom, or an uneven slab

PRO II V2

EN 14904 A464 mmHigh loadFIBA WF73-01BWF Grade 1

Solid hardwood boards, 22 x 130 mm, machine-nailed to PRO II LVL battens with integrated elastic shock pads, 64 mm, raisable on KTL wedges. EN 14904 A4, area-elastic, FIBA 2020 Level 1 licence WF73-01, BWF Grade 1 International Elite, high point and rolling load, and also 35 out of 36. It gives the same certification set as Multiflex Advanced V2 with headroom for staging and equipment trucks. KTL list its underlay as uneven concrete or subfloor and describe the shoe system as combining easily with KTL wedges or other shims for levelling. Residual risk: 64 mm before any wedge raise; KTL publish no flatness tolerance for any system, so how much deviation the shoe system will actually take up has to be confirmed against a level survey rather than assumed; and the catalogue gives the raise range twice, as 86-144 mm on the overview page and 84-144 mm in the system text.

1 millimetres. 7-layer UV coating + site game lines
22 millimetres. Solid hardwood boards, 22x130 mm
41 millimetres. PRO II LVL battens + integrated shock pads
Uneven concrete or subfloor

64 mm system height, 86-144 mm on wedges

Competition grade, shallowest A4 build with a wood surface

FlexiPRO 12 V3

EN 14904 A439 mmHigh loadFIBA WF73-06

Solid hardwood boards, 22 x 130 mm, fully bonded with MS-polymer adhesive to a birch-plywood subfloor with 3-step elastic strips, 39 mm in total. EN 14904 A4, area-elastic, FIBA 2020 Level 1 licence WF73-06, high point and rolling load, 35 out of 36. The full glue-down is the point: KTL name heavy loads from retractable seatings in what the system was designed to carry, and it does that at 39 mm, the lowest of any EN 14904 A4 system in the range with a wood wearing surface. Residual risk: KTL specify it over levelled concrete or an existing sports floor, and it carries no BWF grade. KTL attribute the system's stability to the full glue-down of the boards to the plywood, and they publish nothing at all about lifting, replacing or renovating a bonded floor.

1 millimetres. 7-layer UV coating + site game lines
22 millimetres. Solid hardwood boards, 22x130 mm
1 millimetres. MS-polymer adhesive
16 millimetres. FlexiPRO 12 birch plywood + elastic strips
Levelled concrete slab

39 mm system height

Simplest wood build, light duty halls

Multi Clip System

EN 14904 A332 mmStandard load

Solid hardwood, 22 mm, floating on an elastic foam underlay with x-clip end joints, 32 mm in total and the lowest build height of any system here with a wood wearing surface. EN 14904 A3, area-elastic, standard point and rolling load, no FIBA licence and no BWF grade. It scores 34 out of 36, and the only row it drops against Multiflex Advanced V2 is squash, suitable rather than very suitable, so for a community or primary-school hall doing badminton, table tennis, gymnastics and assemblies the grid gives no reason to go taller. Residual risk: EN 14904 A3 rather than A4, standard load, and two gaps of KTL's own making. Multi Clip is the one system page in the catalogue where the Designed for field is empty, so the manufacturer states no intended use for it at all; and it is the only floor with a wood wearing surface left off KTL's recommended systems for a multi-purpose hall, even though the page badges it MULTI PURPOSE. The only other system absent from both that list and their synthetic recommendation for the room is the FlexiPRO 21 build under a non-resilient covering. Multi Clip is also the only system in the range whose page badges omit Large Arena, so this room is the top of its range.

1 millimetres. 7-layer UV coating + site game lines
22 millimetres. Solid hardwood boards, 22x130 mm
10 millimetres. Elastic foam underlay
Levelled concrete slab

32 mm system height

Lowest build height, synthetic surface

FlexiPRO 21 + hard covering

EN 14904 A426 mmHigh load

KTL's 21 mm birch-plywood subfloor with 3-step elastic rubber strips on the backside, under a 2-4 mm non-resilient synthetic covering, 26 mm excluding the covering. EN 14904 A4, area-elastic, high point and rolling load, 30 out of 36: unsuitable for squash, suitable for basketball, volleyball and multiple usage, very suitable for the other eight rows. It is the lowest build height on this page, so it answers a hall whose real constraint is floor-to-ceiling dimension rather than ball response. Residual risk: KTL supply the subfloor only, the covering is supplied by a third party, and the A4 result holds only with a 2-4 mm non-resilient covering. KTL also publish no maintenance or cleaning regime of any kind, so the wearing surface's upkeep is defined by the covering supplier and not by this catalogue.

3 millimetres. Non-resilient synthetic covering, 2-4 mm
21 millimetres. FlexiPRO 21 birch plywood, 21 mm
5 millimetres. 3-step elastic rubber strips (backside)
Levelled concrete slab

26 mm system height

And what we would not, with the reason.

Saying what was rejected is half the value of a specification. Several of these are rated very suitable for the sport and are still wrong for this room.

FlexiPRO 21 + elastic covering
EN 14904 C4, 26 mm, Standard load
EN 14904 C4, combi-elastic, 26 mm excluding covering, standard point and rolling load. It scores 18 out of 36 across this hall's twelve rows, the lowest of the nine columns by a wide margin: less suitable for basketball, futsal, gymnastics, wheelchair basketball, indoor hockey and table tennis, and unsuitable for squash. This is the build KTL's own usage class recommends for a multi-purpose hall, and their ratings are specific enough to weigh against their recommendation. Its real strengths are elsewhere: it is the only system in the range rated very suitable for volleyball, and the only one rated anything other than unsuitable for tennis.
PRO III
EN 14904 A4, 76 mm, High load
EN 14904 A4, area-elastic, 76 mm, high point and rolling load, FIBA 2020 Level 1 licence WF73-03, no BWF grade. It also scores 35 out of 36, but at 76 mm before any wedge raise it is the tallest system KTL make, and what it adds over PRO II V2 is a thicker batten for arena loads this room does not have. PRO II V2 is the same shoe and wedge principle 12 mm shallower, at the same score, the same EN class, and with the BWF grade PRO III lacks. PRO III returns where the slab is far enough out of true that its 96-156 mm raise range is actually needed.
Portable PRO Summit V2
EN 14904 A3, 44 mm, High load
EN 14904 A3, area-elastic, 44 mm, high point and rolling load, FIBA Level 1 licence WF73-07, no BWF grade. It scores 32 out of 36 and is rated unsuitable for squash. KTL do list it on their recommended systems for a multi-purpose hall, so ruling it out is our judgement and not theirs: it is a portable arena floor, and a hall that stacks chairs on the floor has no use for a floor that comes up. It also carries no BWF grade, so a hall being sold on badminton cannot be sold on this floor. It returns only where the building itself is temporary: a leased hall, a flood-risk site, or one that must be cleared to bare slab for concerts and exhibitions. KTL state a six-person team lays a 700 m2 court in three hours; they publish nothing about storage, transport or taking the floor up again, which is ours to scope.
Portable PRO
EN 14904 A4, 44 mm, High load
EN 14904 A4, area-elastic, 44 mm, high point and rolling load, BWF Grade 1 International Elite, no FIBA licence. It scores 31 out of 36, the lowest of the systems with a wood wearing surface, rated suitable rather than very suitable for basketball and unsuitable for squash, and KTL describe it as multi-purpose usage for a number of sports at a non-professional level. They do list it for a hall, but it returns less on the sport grid than every fixed wood floor and adds only portability, which a permanent hall does not use.

What we add that the catalogue does not.

Declare the real load case in writing at enquiry. This is the single decision that moves the hall between KTL's Multi-Purpose Hall and Large Arena classes, and therefore between standard and high load systems. State plainly whether retractable or telescopic seating, staging trucks, scissor lifts, vehicle access or exhibition stands will ever come onto the floor. Assemblies and stacking chairs are a standard load; a stage wheeled in twice a year may not be.
Slab moisture and a damp-proof membrane are ours to specify. KTL's moisture provision is entirely board-side, customised board moisture content and back-lacquered boards, and the catalogue says nothing about the slab, a membrane or tropical humidity. On a ground-bearing slab in this climate that gap is ours to close, and a hall is the largest single area at risk, so we measure slab relative humidity before ordering and specify against the reading.
State the destination climate on the purchase order. KTL customise every board's moisture content to the climatic conditions in the installation area, so the order needs the installation city and whether the hall is air-conditioned, naturally ventilated, or both by season. An air-conditioned hall and an open, fan-ventilated one are different specifications of the same floor.
Set the substrate flatness tolerance and scope the levelling to it. Multiflex Advanced V2, Multi Clip, FlexiPRO 12 V3 and both FlexiPRO 21 builds are all specified over levelled concrete or an existing sports floor. PRO II V2 and PRO III are the exception, listed over uneven concrete with a shoe system that combines with KTL wedges or other shims, which is why an out-of-true slab can change which system makes sense. KTL publish no flatness tolerance for any system, so the acceptable deviation has to be agreed with them rather than read off the page.
Settle the full multi-sport line set before anyone marks out. This is the room where marking gets out of hand, with basketball, cross-court badminton, volleyball, handball, futsal, netball and pickleball each wanting its own colour, and nothing in the catalogue says how many line sets one floor should carry. Fixed floors are marked on site over KTL's factory coating with no additional clear top coat over the lines, and KTL publish no method for altering a line set afterwards, so treat the first marking as the one you keep and put the reworking method to them before the brief is signed if the sports mix may change.
If the hall goes synthetic, specify the covering class explicitly. KTL supply only the FlexiPRO 21 subfloor, and the EN 14904 result depends entirely on what goes on top: a 2-4 mm non-resilient covering gives area-elastic A4, a 6-9 mm vinyl or PU covering gives combi-elastic C4. Specify the non-resilient covering, and require the covering supplier to confirm the combined system test rather than their own sheet alone.
Fix the gloss level and the wood species at order stage. Low gloss, semi-gloss, glossy and super-glossy are offered, and a hall with rooflights or a filming requirement generally wants semi-gloss or lower. Hevea, beech and maple are offered on every KTL system with a wood surface, with merbau, ash and oak added on PRO II V2, PRO III, Multiflex Advanced V2 and Multi Clip, while both FlexiPRO 21 builds are birch-plywood subfloor only and carry no species choice at all. KTL name the six species and publish no technical properties for any of them, so we ask for a graded sample rather than choosing from a swatch.
Coordinate perimeter expansion, floor sockets and store thresholds against the chosen build height before the slab is set out. A hall floor is large, so it moves, and the perimeter expansion gap and the skirting detail that closes it have to work with the volleyball and badminton floor sockets, the wall-bar and goal fixings, and the door into the equipment store. Those details are set by system height, which is why the height comparison belongs in the design meeting and not in the order.

What we would put to the manufacturer.

Before anybody signs anything. These are gaps in the published data, not doubts about the floor.

Netball is on KTL's sport list for a multi-purpose hall and has no row anywhere in their ratings matrix. It cannot be scored from this catalogue, so if netball is in the brief we ask KTL for the rating rather than inferring it from basketball.
KTL's usage class for a multi-purpose hall recommends FlexiPRO 21 with vinyl, PU or Lino. Their own ratings put the vinyl and PU build last of nine across this hall's twelve rows, while the non-resilient build on the identical subfloor scores 30, and Lino is not classified anywhere in the catalogue. Which covering class is the manufacturer's current position for a hall?
No shock-absorption, vertical-deformation, ball-rebound or friction value appears anywhere in the forty pages, only the EN 14904 class letters. A tender that asks for measured numbers needs the EN 14904 test reports from KTL, not the catalogue.
Point and rolling load are published as class letters only, high or standard, with no value behind them, and no flatness tolerance is published for any system. An equipment schedule for staging, seating or a scissor lift, and the level survey behind any wedge-raised floor, therefore have to be put to KTL rather than checked against a figure.
FIBA is licensed per system with a licence number that can be verified. BWF appears only as the words Grade 1 International Elite, with no certificate reference, issue date or scope anywhere in the catalogue, so we ask for the BWF documentation before a hall is sold on that grade.
PRO II V2's wedge raise range is given as 86-144 mm on the overview page and as 84-144 mm in the system text. Confirm which is correct before thresholds and floor sockets are set out.

If this is your room, tell us the sports and the heaviest thing that will ever cross the floor.

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