Wales

Completing Ebbw Vale Sports Centre

 Ebbw Vale Sports Centre

A £15,212,155 million project to bring a brand new sports centre to Ebbw Vale has reached completion.

The Ebbw Vale Sports Centre project comprised the construction of a 6000 sq metre centre to provide sporting facilities to the adjacent schools – the Ebbw Fawr Learning Community – and the surrounding community. With work now complete on the project the centre boasts a range of sporting facilities, including swimming pools, a fitness suite and four multi-use games areas (MUGA).

Willmott Dixon is the main contractor on the project, whilst Blaenau Gwent County Borough Council, Technical Services Division – the original concept architect – provided architectural services up to stage D of the project and Building Design Partnership was the architect from stage E onwards.

The project was funded by the Welsh Government and Blaenau Gwent County Borough Council.

Work started on the Ebbw Vale Sports Centre project in April 2012. The two-storey building was built from a steel frame construction, with a kalzip standing seam roof, curtain walling and a mix of terracotta, Kalzip and Alucobond rain screen cladding. The building was built to meet BREEAM standards of ‘excellent’ and Secure by Design.

Blaenau Gwent County Borough Council Project Architect, Simon Jennings, said:

“Our existing sports centre was nearing the end of its life before we started on this new centre, so the creation of this facility was vital for the continuation of sporting provisions in the community. If this building was not built then the community and learning community would not have a sports centre.

“With the sports centre complete it has become a central hub that attracts all different members of the community and injects life into this area.”

 Ebbw Vale Sports Centre

Internally the new centre includes a 25m six-lane competition pool, a leisure pool with associated spectator area, a sauna and changing village, an eight-court sports hall with storage space, a 65-station fitness suite and a sports lab. Additional features include a dance room, a cafe/kitchen area, reception, a number of flexible spaces and associated auxiliary areas.

Van Egdom specialises in the production and supply of water flumes and water playgrounds for the leisure industry. On Ebbw Vale Sports Centre project Van Egdom supplied the facility with a custom built crystal clear speed slide flume and a Crazy Cone flume.

Van Egdom Project Manager, Arjan Schoenmaker, commented:

“The Crazy Cone is the first installation in the United Kingdom and has a distinctive cone shaped design. Together with Willmott Dixon and the end customer Ebbw Vale, we developed a unique design of flumes on a roof suspended construction. The complete construction in combination with the choice of flumes made for an incredible design, with sliding fun for the complete family.

“As a Dutch supplier we strive to be unique and safe at the same time. We felt that by introducing the Crazy Cone in the United Kingdom in this shape, we showed that it is possible to create unique and safe features in every pool and that nothing is impossible. The Crazy Cone is also something which is complementary with the design of the Leisure Centre itself. This project allowed Van Egdom the chance to show what we are capable of and we are more than pleased that we had the chance to show this. We are very proud of the result!”

 Ebbw Vale Sports Centre

Arjan added:

“Van Egdom is European’s oldest producer and supplier of water attractions with everything in-house. The fact that we are still in this business says something about our dedication and motivation to create those water attractions which are desired by our customers. We are an honest company and will keep going till the job is done.”

External features of the site include a full sized 3G pitch, full sized grass pitch, four 3G MUGAs and on site accessible parking. In addition, external landscaping includes steps, seating, public gathering space and a bus drop off zone.

 

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