One of Nature’s Most Remarkable Materials
Cork is the outer bark of the cork oak tree (Quercus suber L.), a remarkable natural material with a unique combination of properties that make it particularly suited to playground surfacing.
Lightweight, resilient, thermally insulating, and naturally comfortable, cork provides the foundation for Corkeen’s approach to creating safer, more accessible, and more sustainable play spaces.
Cork harvesting
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Harvested Without Cutting Down the Tree
One of cork’s most distinctive characteristics is the way it is harvested.
The bark of the cork oak is carefully removed by skilled professionals without cutting down or damaging the tree. Once harvested, the bark naturally regenerates and can be harvested again approximately every nine years.
A cork oak can live for around 200 years and may be harvested multiple times throughout its lifetime, making cork a naturally renewable raw material.
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From the Cork Oak Forest
Cork comes from the cork oak forests of the Western Mediterranean, a unique ecosystem particularly concentrated in Portugal and Spain.
These forests play an important environmental role, helping support biodiversity, protect soils, regulate the water cycle, combat desertification, and retain carbon.
Portugal is home to approximately one-third of the world’s cork oak forest area and is the world’s largest cork producer.
Cork harvesting
The wise hands that plant the trees of the cork oak forest are the same ones that skilfully strip the bark every year. Removing the bark from each cork oak.
Key Characteristics
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Excellent Acoustic Insulation
Cork has low conductivity to noise and vibration. This is because the gaseous components contained in cork are enclosed in small impermeable compartments, isolated from each other by a moisture-resistant substance.
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Excellent Thermal Insulation
The air inside the cells makes it an excellent insulator, leading to very low thermal conductivity, over a wide range of temperatures.
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Excellent Resistance to Fire and High Temperatures
Cork is also a natural fire retardant: it burns without a flame and does not emit toxic gases during combustion.
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Excellent Elasticity and Compressibility
It is the only solid which, when compressed on one side, does not increase in volume on another; and as a result of its elasticity it is able to adapt, for example, to variations in temperature and pressure without suffering alterations.
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Extremely Light and Buoyant
Over 50% of its volume is air, which makes it very light - it weighs just 0.16 grams per cubic centimetre and can float.
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Hypoallergenic
Because cork does not absorb dust, it helps protect against allergies and does not pose a risk to asthma sufferers.
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Impermeable to Liquids and Gases
Thanks to the suberin and ceroids contained in the cell walls, cork is practically impermeable to liquids and gases. Its resistance to moisture enables it to age without deteriorating.
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High Friction Resistance and Good Resilience
Cork is extremely resistant to abrasion and has a high friction coefficient. Thanks to its honeycomb structure, its resistance to impact or friction is greater than that of other hard surfaces.
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Comfortable and Warm Feeling
The natural texture of cork combines softness and flexibility to the touch with a naturally uneven surface. The variable degree of irregularity is given by the type of cork used and the finish chosen.
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Why Cork Works for Playground Surfacing
Cork’s cellular structure gives it a combination of properties particularly relevant to outdoor playground environments.
Impact resilience
Its cellular structure provides elasticity and resilience, making cork well suited to impact-attenuating applications.
Thermal insulation
Cork has naturally low thermal conductivity, helping limit heat transfer through the material.
Durability
Its cellular structure and natural composition provide resistance to wear, moisture, and changing environmental conditions.
Natural comfort
Cork combines resilience with a naturally comfortable feel, making it particularly suited to spaces designed for play.
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From Nature to Play
At Corkeen, we use the natural properties of cork as the foundation for an engineered playground safety surfacing system.
Corkeen gives cork by-products from other industries a new purpose, incorporating them into a durable surfacing solution and helping reduce waste through a more circular use of materials.
The result brings together the benefits of a remarkable natural material with the engineering and technical performance required for modern playgrounds.