North East & Yorkshire

£9 million York Sport Village opens to the public

University of York Sports Village

The development of a brand new campus at the University of York has seen the creation of a state-of-the-art sports village.

The £9 million York Sport Village project has been jointly funded by the University and the City of York Council, with support from Sport England. As part of a master plan for the University’s Heslington East campus, the village boasts a competition-standard eight-lane 25-metre pool and a training pool.

Further facilities include a 120-station fitness suite; three studios for dance, spin and aerobics; a full-sized 3G Astroturf pitch and three further five-a-side pitches. All of the facilities are available for use by students, staff and the public since the centre’s phased opening on Friday 31st August.

University of York Sports Village

Main contractor for the project is Sir Robert McAlpine and the architect is Space Architects.

David Coundon, Architectural Director at Space said:

“This is a key building in a prominent location that is highly visible both from within the Heslington East Campus expansion and from the surrounding road network. As a result, the building not only provides an outstanding sports and leisure facility, but also serves as a landmark for both the University and the City.

University of York Sports Village

“This has been a great opportunity for us to work with an informed client body who had the vision to create a truly magnificent development. It is a prestigious building with high quality finished- both inside and out- and we have managed to deliver this on programme with a relatively modest budget. As a company, we are very proud to be involved with this fantastic new building.”

The stunning York Sport Village has incorporated coloured metal cladding panels with resin-faced architectural blocks in light blue and dark grey-blue. Featuring extensive glazing throughout, the centre also celebrates the metallic silver standing seam roof that curves down gracefully from the double-height space above the pool hall.

University of York Sports Village

A large overhang shades the glazed façades from the sun, whilst the pool boasts unrivalled views of the surrounding countryside. Interestingly, the first-floor gym can be seen clearly outside the building – providing a tantalising glimpse of all of the sporting activities on offer.

Professor Brian Cantor, the Vice-Chancellor of the University of York said:

“York Sport Village is a superb sporting asset for our students and for everyone in the city. It reflects our commitment both to enhance our students’ experience at a world class University, and to contribute to the health and well-being of people throughout the city.

University of York Sports Village

“Our sports and recreational facilities for students, staff and the community are already outstanding, and York Sport Village takes them to an even higher level.”

University of York Sports Village

Councillor Sonja Crisp, Cabinet Member for Leisure, Culture and Social Inclusion, added:

“York Sport Village will provide a state of the art facility for residents across the city and I’m delighted that work has been completed in this, an Olympic year. We know that an active lifestyle brings a wide range of long term benefits and I hope that people of all ages will enjoy the fantastic facilities on offer at the site.”

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