Windy weather can be the most frustrating conditions to play padel in as it affects two of the most important parts of the game – the lob and the overheads, particularly if the ball is lofted above the height of the glass. To be fair, any adverse conditions can have a negative effect on performance and even the best games can look scrappy if players are dealing with the elements. All players prefer playing padel (and probably any sport) in perfect conditions.
Our advice, unsurprisingly, is to install a cover over the court so players can enjoy padel without the threat of high winds affecting ball placement, rain affecting the ball’s bounce, sun affecting your eyes or cold temperatures affecting the rebound but we understand that this option is not always viable be it from a planning or financial perspective. When it comes to wind however, we are less concerned about how it affects your game and more interested in how it affects the structural stability of the padel court.
The building’s structural design must absorb wind forces safely and efficiently and transfer them to the foundations in order to avoid structural collapse. It’s not just the quality of the steel manufacturing that is important to consider but also the soil structure. Then there’s the wind speed and direction, the court’s location, height, orientation and surrounding topography.
All of these factors are specific to the site that has been identified for development, which is why we strongly believe that a customised approach is the most sensible way to start every new project.
This is of particular relevance for padel. One, because we are dealing with glass and two, because there are a huge number of padel court structures that are being imported to the UK from Europe where the environment is so different.
Glass walls that are more accustomed to absorbing heat from the sun in Spain are not necessarily going to be able to absorb the wind’s force in Scotland so we strongly recommend you ensure the wind loads have been factored in at the start of any new construction project. Don’t settle for what might be standard in Madrid. The chances are it will not last very long in Middlesborough.
Yes, wind loads can have a significant impact on game playability but critically there will be no play whatsoever if they have a negative impact on structural stability.
