The sports and leisure industries within the UK are booming. More people than ever before are choosing to focus on their health and fitness, thanks in part to inspiring role models within the sector. Boxing and fitness classes are becoming particularly popular, yet space for these types of facilities is
PJ Plumbing Heating & Maintenance Ltd benefited from a total floor solution from Gaia, including insulation and screed works, to a new sports facility in Norwich. The sports hall, built at the Hewett Academy, is expected to be used by Jane Austen College, the Hewett Academy, Charles Darwin Primary, and
A major M&E contract at Leeds Beckett University has been landed by SES for a new £45 million sports hub. Delivered by contractor Galliford Try, the project will involve building a new state-of-the-art Carnegie Teaching and Research Building, which will house the Carnegie School of Sport, located at the Headingley campus. SES
Morgan Sindall has completed the transfomation of the Lucas Lane cricket grounds in Hertfordshire as a new state of the art sporting centre. First opened in 1866, Hitchin Cricket Club and Blueharts Hockey Club’s ground now includes a new two-storey club pavilion, with catering facilities, a bar and a function room and
Derby-based Davlyn Construction has secured a £6 million contract as the main build contractor for Repton School in South Derbyshire. Davlyn will be transforming the sports facilities at the historic school. Phase One has already been completed and a new strength and conditioning gym, together with a 1250 m2 state-of-the-art
The sports and leisure industries within the UK are booming. More people than ever before are choosing to focus on their health and fitness, thanks in part to inspiring role models within the sector. Boxing and fitness classes are becoming particularly popular, yet space for these types of facilities is now limited. Consequently, the construction industry is seeing a demand for leisure centres and sports clubs. Here, we’ll look at the rise in the demand for sports clubs and leisure centres and how it benefits other businesses. Sports clubs continue to grow Last year, the Sports Club Survey Report discovered that sports clubs in England were continuing to grow despite numerous challenges. Over half of clubs that responded to the survey, claimed they expected their adult memberships to continue to increase. There was also an interesting rise in the number of volunteers working within sports centres, showing the love of sports isn’t just tied to money. The challenges of building sports and leisure centres Although the rise in the demand for sports and leisure centres is increasing, there are challenges construction workers face when building these types of buildings. A lot of the new sports clubs require a unique, modern construction, rather than a standard generic layout. They are more specialised buildings, ranging greatly in size from single gymnasiums to large stadiums. Even the refurbishment of older facilities can be a complex construction process. Just some of the issues involved in the building of sports clubs and leisure centres include high up-front costs and long project completion. How the increase in demand benefits other sectors There may be challenges within the construction of additional sports clubs and leisure centres. However, the rise in demand is having benefits on other sectors. Companies which supply fitness equipment are seeing an increase in business, as are those which supply facilities for the buildings such as JLA. An additional benefit is that these new clubs and leisure centres require new staff to keep them running. So, personal trainers are seeing an increase in demand too. However, the wider benefits are even more remarkable. As there is an increase in demand for sports and leisure facilities, it means a lot of people are focused on getting fitter. This is obviously a great benefit for society as a whole. It also means less pressure will be placed onto the NHS eventually as obesity levels drop. Obviously, this isn’t a benefit that’s going to happen overnight, but it is a promising sign that people are getting fitter and healthier. Overall, sports clubs and leisure centres are becoming more popular in the UK. While there may be challenges building and running new facilities, this increase in demand is delivering a lot of benefits to associated sectors too.
PJ Plumbing Heating & Maintenance Ltd benefited from a total floor solution from Gaia, including insulation and screed works, to a new sports facility in Norwich. The sports hall, built at the Hewett Academy, is expected to be used by Jane Austen College, the Hewett Academy, Charles Darwin Primary, and the new Wherry School, an independent specialist free school. “This is a great new facility for both our students and those from Hewett Academy, and a great example of how our schools work together across the Inspiration Trust,” said the head of Jane Austen College David Thomas. The company supplied tamper-proof room thermostats, a popular product in schools and public areas to the new facility. Named after Eileen Ash, a pioneering female test cricketer who lives in Norwich and is now 107 years old, the facility was officially opened in Autumn last year. Since then, the sports hall has been kitted out with new equipment, supporting a range of sports offered at the schools including netball, cricket, trampolining and basketball. “The Hewett Academy already has some of the best sports facilities in the city and we regularly welcome pupils from nearby schools for swimming, hockey and football. This brilliant new centre is a great way to continue that tradition,” commented Academy Principle Rebecca Handley Kirk of Hewett Academy. The system installed was Gaia Wet Underfloor Heating into screed, and placed in the changing facilities and lobby areas. “We worked closely with a trusted screeding contractor to deliver the total package including screed laid to falls in the shower areas. The project was a joy to work on, and there was great communication from PJ Plumbing and the main contractor from start to finish,” concluded Senior Account Manager William Theobald, who oversaw the project for Gaia.
A major M&E contract at Leeds Beckett University has been landed by SES for a new £45 million sports hub. Delivered by contractor Galliford Try, the project will involve building a new state-of-the-art Carnegie Teaching and Research Building, which will house the Carnegie School of Sport, located at the Headingley campus. SES will design and install a full range of building services on the development, which will include a hypoxic laboratory, a health and wellbeing studio, an indoor 60m sprint track for performance training and analysis, a roof walker track and terrace, and an enhanced strength and conditioning space as well as changing and recovery facilities. “Having recently had the privilege of working with Galliford Try on a number of complex higher education facilities, such as the award-winning refurbishment of the University of Leeds’ world-class School of Chemical and Process Engineering, we have amassed a great deal of knowledge and experience of the sector,” said SES business director North and Scotland, Steve Joyce. “To be involved with such an innovative building as the Carnegie Teaching and Research Building further cements our excellent working relationship with the contractor. It also presents a further opportunity for SES to demonstrate its BIM Level 2 experience to great effect,” added Steve. The Carnegie Teaching and Research Building is scheduled for completion in Autumn 2019.
Morgan Sindall has completed the transfomation of the Lucas Lane cricket grounds in Hertfordshire as a new state of the art sporting centre. First opened in 1866, Hitchin Cricket Club and Blueharts Hockey Club’s ground now includes a new two-storey club pavilion, with catering facilities, a bar and a function room and a balcony overlooking a new all-weather hockey pitch. “We are delighted with the outcome of the completed project, the new Cricket Club Ground is a fantastic community asset with professional standard facilities that will support the needs and ambitions of two local teams long into the future. We are confident that the refurbished facilities will enable the club to build upon their rich local history at the Lucas Lane site and provide a brilliant community sporting resource for generations to come,” said David Rowsell, Morgan Sindall Construction and Infrastructure’s area director for the Northern Home Counties. New changing rooms, an equipment store, cricket nets, and a brand new scoreboard are also part of the new state of the art centre. Morgan Sindall also demolished the ground’s existing clubhouse, built a new external car park and extensive soft landscaping in order to create an attractive environment. “Morgan Sindall Construction & Infrastructure helped us to deliver a state of the art new home for Hitchin Cricket Club and Blue-harts Hockey Club at Lucas Lane,” commented Hitchin Town Cricket-Ground Chairman Geoff Edwards. “It is a truly exceptional facility that will be enjoyed by our members and the local community for many years to come. We would like to thank the whole team at Morgan Sindall Construction & Infrastructure for their hard work, dedication and professionalism throughout this project, and for helping us to achieve this pivotal milestone in the history of both clubs,” he concluded.
Derby-based Davlyn Construction has secured a £6 million contract as the main build contractor for Repton School in South Derbyshire. Davlyn will be transforming the sports facilities at the historic school. Phase One has already been completed and a new strength and conditioning gym, together with a 1250 m2 state-of-the-art sports hall, designed by Matthew Montague Architects, is in place. The new facility will be used for indoor hockey, netball, basketball and football along with new squash courts, changing rooms, seating and sports storage area. The contract, worth £3 million, also included the demolition of the old 1960s squash courts. The second phase, which is also worth £3 million, is now being delivered by Davlyn. This will see the existing Tanyard Building extended and refurbished to create a new entrance, changing rooms, briefing room, link corridor, social area, viewing gallery and the creation of a bigger car park. “Firstly, we’re delighted to have been appointed as the main build contractor on such a prestigious job at Repton School. We’re really pleased to have delivered phase one of the project to a high standard and on time and it’s fantastic to see the school and its students benefiting from it,” said David Gaskin, Director at Davlyn Construction. “Now we are very much focused on phase two and delivering that to an equally high standard. We have the constraints of working on a live site and within a conservation area but that is something we are very experienced in. We have worked with Repton School for over 14 years and have established a very good working relationship with them. We are proud to be part of their plans to deliver even better facilities for their students and staff. Education is a very important sector for us as a company so we are particularly pleased to have been awarded this contract,” David added. Repton School, established in 1557, is a co-educational independent school for boarding and day pupils and has around 650 students.
