THE EVOLUTION OF ARTIFICIAL GRASS
FOR THE LANDSCAPE MARKET
Artificial grass has become the new ‘must polypropylene material and its tufts were joints, yet still provided adequate foot
have’ item for your garden. But why spread widely apart in order to mimic the traction for sport. Artificial grass is now
has it become so popular overnight and appearance of natural grass. Although accepted for football around the world
where did the idea come from? this concept provided extremely popular and is becoming extremely popular for
for multi-sports pitches it never really numerous other applications.
THE ORIGINS OF FIRST, SECOND took off for football. The ball behaviour AND THIRD GENERATION and playing characteristics did not match ARTIFICIAL GRASS IN THE UK
ARTIFICIAL GRASS the capabilities of natural grass. Carpet Artificial grass actually has a history
Artificial grass has actually been around burns and serious injuries led to many of nearly 70 years in the UK, first being
since the 1960’s, predominantly being pitches being uplifted and an eventual made Cumbria for fruit and veg stalls
used for football pitches. The first well ban from English Professional Football. and grave surrounds. In the early 1980’s
known installation of a full sized pitch Clubs like QPR, Preston North End, Luton a manufacturing plant was set up in
was at the Houston Astrodome in 1965 and Oldham, who had installed such Preston, Lancashire, making a selective
and was then known as Chemgrass. By pitches in the early 1980’s, removed their number of products mainly for the
1966 the a major league baseball team, surfacing and returned to natural grass. football and multi-sports pitch market.
playing on this surface, so it was renamed By the mid 1990’s a third generation Verde Sports Ltd, set up in 1988 after
‘Astroturf’, a word that now appears in of artificial turf was appearing around purchasing a company called Scana
the English Dictionary. An official patent the globe. It was now being made with Leisure Surfaces, who installed synthetic
was applied for in 1967. This surface was a new polymer know as polyethylene, sports pitches out of needle-punched
a tightly curled nylon fibre, which was which was softer than its predecessors. carpeted surfacing. Verde immediately
woven into a foam backing and has since This new turf also featured longer fibres, started to introduce the use of artificial
been referred to as the ‘first generation’ which were combined with a curled grass for golf, cricket, tennis, bowling
of synthetic football surfaces. ‘dead grass’ thatch, creating a much green banks and various leisure surfaces.
known as the Houston Astro’s were
more realistic appearance to the finished
The second generation of artificial article. For sports applications, soft By 1990 artificial grass was regularly
grass was introduced in the 1970’s infills were introduced to the synthetic being used around holiday parks for
and was known as the ‘shag turf’. The grass industry, which added extra covering caravan verandas to make them
new yarns were made of a less abrasive comfort and put less stress on player’s less slippery. Children’s Nursery Schools
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Landscape & Urban Design Issue 36 2019