sports
University of Warwick opens cutting-edge Sports and Wellness Hub
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HE University of Warwick has opened its world-class £36m Sports and Wellness Hub.
Replacing all former on-campus health and fitness facilities, the 16,684 sqft Sports and Wellness Hub has been designed to inspire and motivate staff, students, and the local community to get active. Designed by David Morley Architects, the Hub is a crucial part of the University’s estates strategy and plays a key role in its ambition to be the most physically active campus community in the UK by 2020. The Hub employs smart building technology throughout, with coolant technology providing the temperature for any given sport and dynamic lighting automatically adjusted in certain rooms at certain times of the day to create the optimal ambience.
The swimming pool features a boom – a floor that can be raised or lowered to accommodate competitions or general use, at the touch of a button – while
digital technology in the rowing room gives users a sense of rowing outside. Alongside the technological innovations, the Sports and Wellness Hub has been designed to accommodate a vast array of sports and uses. The main hall is a multi-functional space with high ceilings that offers a feeling of breathable space; the 15m-high climbing wall provides 144 different routes; and the gym is the largest in the higher education sector with 230 stations. Set in a combination of hard and soft landscaping, the Hub features natural ventilation and views of the surrounding woodland in all directions, with other facilities including a fitness and martial arts studios, and squash courts. Externally, there are 3G sports pitches, car parking, and netball courts, with the Hub acting as the training ground for Coventry’s Wasps Netball Superleague team.
The building is designed for to be accessible and inclusive for all, encouraging everyone – of any age or ability – to try something active. The design also has sustainability at the heart, incorporating architectural and technical to leave a smaller footprint on the planet.
It will include a spacious 230-station gym and a 25-metre, 12-lane swimming pool – both enjoying views of the surrounding woodland. It also features a 12-court sports arena, six glass-backed squash courts and a cutting-edge climbing centre. Andy Mytom, Partner at David Morley
36 highereducationestates
Architects, added: “We are proud to have worked with the University of Warwick to create a campus wide master plan and major new facility to support their vision of being create the most active campus in the UK.”
Lisa Dodd-Mayne, Director of Sport & Active Communities at the University of Warwick, said: “The Sport and Wellness Hub is a world-class facility in Coventry and Warwickshire open to everyone and will inspire everyone who walks through the door to get active. “We have worked closely with Willmott Dixon for the duration of the project to deliver on the design and it is fantastic to see it now ready to open. The Hub is more than just a building – it will transform and change people’s lives. “As a University, we are working toward being the most active campus in the UK by 2020 and the Hub will be central to achieving that goal.
“The Hub will transform sport on our campus, but it is also open to members of the public and local communities, to take advantage of one of the finest facilities in the region.”
Peter Owen, Managing Director for
Willmott Dixon in the Midlands, said: “This was a hugely exciting and unique project. The design of the building and the level of smart technology that has been implemented throughout is outstanding.”
www.willmottdixon.co.uk www.davidmorleyarchitects.co.uk
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