The 5,000sq m sports hall can host four full-size handball courts, four futsal pitches, eight netball courts or six basketball courts


Visitors are just as likely to see an international, elite squad training in the gym as they are a local school team hiring out a five-a-side court in the sports hall


long- and triple-jump pits, changing rooms, kitchen facilities, a warm-up area and a sports medical room were added.


Architecture and design Designed by architect David La Riche from LRK Associates, SportHouse sits within 4.2 acres of the 45 hectare Mayes- brook Park. Existing buildings were demolished to make way for the new fa- cility which includes new changing rooms and two external multi-purpose courts. The project’s lead contractor, Morgan


Sindall, was responsible for the construc- tion and delivery of the project. “This was one of the last Olympic projects to get funding from the ODA, so we had an ex- tremely tight time-frame and budget to work with”, says Morgan Sindall’s manag- ing director at the London Office, Peter Jacobs. “However, it’s been a real privi- lege to work on SportHouse – the facilities are going to have a life-enhancing impact on the local community and seeing the site come to life has really brought the proximity of the Olympics home to the people who live in this area.”


Elite and community support The two gyms at SportHouse cover a combined 1,000sq m of floor space and house 300 pieces of cardiovascular and strength training equipment, including


Issue 2 2012 © cybertrek 2012


SPORTHOUSE – FACTS AND FIGURES ● 5,000sq m multi-use sports hall


● 1,000sq m gym across two floors ● 250-cover restaurant and bar ● 6,000 member capacity


The sports hall But althought SportHouse has an excellent range of facilities, it’s the 5,000sq m, multi-use sports hall that en- abled the site to qualify for the title of Games-Time Training Venue. Designed for maximum versatility and flexibility, the clear-span space can be configured as four full-size handball courts or futsal pitches, six netball courts or 54 badmin- ton courts at any one time. The flooring used in the sports hall –


a fully-inclusive range of Cybex fitness equipment, accredited by the Inclusive Fitness Initiative (IFI) programme. “We’ve worked closely with Mike


Stimson and his team, since their visit to IHRSA in 2011, when they tested out fit- ness equipment from all manufacturers before choosing Cybex,” says Rob Thur- ston, commercial director for Cybex UK. “The relationship between Cybex and


SportHouse will continue to strength- en as we recognise the shared values between both parties; the high-perfor- mance design of Cybex equipment will help to support SportHouse’s vision to deliver a sports facility that caters for the sports and training regimes of a wide section of users of all abilities.”


which was laid in just five weeks – was designed, manufactured and installed by Gerflor, a specialist in resilient floor- ing solutions. “The sports hall features 5,000sq m of Gerflor’s Taraflex™ Combis- port flooring,” says Darren Wood, Taraflex sport manager for Gerflor. “This floor sys- tem will help deliver community through to elite athlete performance, while offer- ing users both safety and comfort.” Contributing to the individuality and


distinctiveness of the venue, the floor- ing has been produced in London Blue, a colour mixed exclusively for the London 2012 Handball Arena and SportHouse. Temporary flooring has also been


provided in accordance with the require- ments of the London 2012 Organising Committee for the Olympic Paralympic Games (LOCOG), to support the training needs of the wheelchair rugby athletes.


Read Sports Management online sportsmanagement.co.uk/digital 25


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