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Discover our new Sports Complex

Part of an ongoing £100 million estates development plan transforming Solent’s East Park Terrace (EPT) campus to improve and modernise the University, the new sports complex facilities will support and enable excellence in sport, health and fitness related degree programmes and associated teaching and research.

Work has now completed and the building is open for use by staff, students and the public.

What it will deliver

Solent's new sports complex comprises of:

  • Two sports halls (including performance, events and multipurpose facilities)
  • Two fitness studios and spin studio
  • General purpose gym (accessible by the public)
  • Strength and conditioning high performance gym
  • Health and fitness, and personal training teaching gyms
  • Sports and exercise therapy clinical space.

CGI flythrough, February 2019

 

The new sports complex sits on the northern end of the East Park Terrace (EPT) campus, next to Solent’s Spark building, which opened at the start of the academic year 2016/17. The new structure will link to the rest of the EPT site to create a thriving, student community across a range of excellent facilities. 

The appointed architects for the sports complex, Architecture PLB, designed the building to fit with its current surroundings. The hard landscape will pick up on the materials used in the Spark, but will introduce an ‘accent’ brick material that will provide a dark contrast to the surrounding, paler landscaping.

The complex has two distinct parts, which will be clad in contrasting materials. The gym tower has a striking perforated facade which wraps the entire building, covering some windows and exposing others to reveal the activities within. At night, the covered windows will be revealed, creating a dynamic change to the look of the building.

By altering the size of the circular perforations in the aluminium rain screen cladding, the team designed a striking pattern across the façade based on an abstraction of the pre-war street layout of the surrounding area. The design team felt it was important to document the ‘lost history’ of the site and root the complex to its location.

The complex has been designed to achieve BREEAM excellent as well as comply with Southampton City Council’s Core Strategy Policy – tackling and adapting climate change.

Timeline of the sports building construction

July 2017 - Planning was approved by the council for development. August to October 2017 - Enabling work starts on the site at East Park Terrace. October 2017 - Main works start. October 2017 to June 2018 - Substructure and ground work. February to June 2018 - Steel frame added. June to August 2018 - Roof coverings start. July to December 2018 - Cladding and brickwork. July to March 2019 - Internal works. December 2018 to March 2019 - External works. Spring 2019 - Building handed over to University and 'soft launch' programme initiated, building up to full operation by the start of the 2019/20 academic year. September 2019 - Building in use by students and other users.

Please note, the dates given within the timeline are indicative and subject to change slightly throughout the build process. Keep an eye on our updates section to find out more about the latest developments.

The new sports complex will continue to enhance the student and staff learning and teaching experience. The complex will also be a key component of the University’s expanding and considered offering to its diverse community, including:

  • Staff
    • Academics
    • Professional services
    • Solent Sport
  • Students
    • Current
    • Prospective
    • Students Union
  • Alumni
  • External stakeholders
    • Council and other regulatory bodies
    • Geographical community
    • Local schools
    • Business community
    • Non-university users of the current St Mary’s site.

Solent University’s new sports complex is located on the northern end of the East Park Terrace campus.

The University sport facilities are currently provided across a number of sites including the East Park Terrace campus and at satellite sites across the city. The new sports facility will improve the University’s academic and extra-curricular sport requirement by bringing key indoor facilities to the main East Park Terrace campus.

The new sports facility supports and enables excellence in sport, health and fitness related degree programmes. It will also support the University’s ambitions to increase its profile and standing in the BUCS league (British Universities & Colleges Sport) and provide national quality facilities for sports, especially basketball and netball.

The lead contractor for the new sports complex is Morgan Sindall, a leading UK construction and regeneration group.

Gallery

January 2019:


December 2018:


October/November 2018:


September 2018:


August 2018:


June 2018:


April 2018:


February 2018:


January 2018:

Updates


CGI fly-through video, November 2018

Interview with Jon Daines, director of Morgan Sindall, in September 2018


Alumni spotlight: Harry White

Harry White studied BSc (Hons) Construction Management and is now helping to construct the new sports complex.

Read our interview

Architects' interview, May 2018


Topping out ceremony

Marking the highest point during the building's construction, May 2018.

Read the article

Site update interview with Grant Wild, Senior Project Manager, Morgan Sindall, February 2018

 

Ground breaking ceremony

Plans reached a momentous milestone in September 2017.

Read the article 

Work starts on the new sports building, July 2017

Read the article 

A peek at the plans


Consultation period, November 2016

Read the article 

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