15m x 70m x 3m
Cardiff
Sport
Cardiff Metropolitan University is recognised globally for its high performance sport programmes. The university provides a range of premier sporting and athletic facilities, including an indoor athletics center, modern gym, sports fields, and swimming pool. It supports competitive and recreational sports, elite programs, and community engagement, offering top-tier coaching and resources.
The university has track record of supporting and developing a wide range of Olympic and International level athletes. It offers excellent sports facilities and an extensive range of activities to cater for everyone from elite athletes to students, staff and the wider community. We were approached to provide additional space to be used as a semi-permanent strength and conditioning facility to compliment the existing on-site sport offering. They required a structure that was comparable to a traditional building in quality and fitout options.
After undertaking a series of site visits, we identified an underutilised area of sports track that would provide a solid base for the structure. Due to our wide range of bespoke options, we were able to specify a tailormade solution comprising glazing and durable steel cladding with a robust PVC tensile roof with anti-condensation technology. We developed the design for a 15m x 70m structure with a x 3m eave height. Our solution focused on three key areas:
1. Optimised use of existing space: The underutilised sports track was effectively repurposed to provide a solid base for the new facility. We conducted pull tests to confirm its suitability and developed a unique suspended floor system based on load calculations for specialist equipment and weights. By using this space, we saved the client money and time.
2. Customised design and quality: The bespoke building was designed to a high specification, ensuring it met the necessary quality standards including UK Building Regulations, Equality Act compliance, British Safety Standards, Wind Loading BS6399 and General Snow Loading BS6399. While it is referred to as a “temporary” building, the quality and design of the structure is more akin to a permanent building.
3. Training environment: The new facility complements the existing sports infrastructure on campus and provides an optimal environment for strength, conditioning and training. We included 75m of glazed frontage to let natural light flood into the structure and the semitranslucent PCV roof also reduces artificial lighting demand. The custom designed lighting array will enable all year usage in the darker months, with heating capability when required.
15m x 70m on a 3m eave. Frame profile of 260mm x 132mm x 4/6mm.
Insulated Thermal Roof – Double skin PVC material roof 650g /m2, non-flammable, fully tensioned.
Internally the roof is fitted with a specialist secondary membrane to prevent condensation forming inside the structure. The walling is clad with DripStop technology.
Industrial steel cladding with 75m of glazed frontage
Aluminium clear-span structure with a 4-channel aluminium extrusion beam, 5m bay length and 22-degree roof pitch.
Glazed double doors complete with bespoke access ramps in compliance with the Equality Act 2010.
Bespoke engineered suspended flooring system consisting of a re- enforced timber frame clad with 2 x alternating layers of ply and finished with a specialist 22mm rubber gym flooring/Astroturf.
Full electrical supply, hard wired from the mains, lighting array, heating, ventilation and power sockets.
Fully compliant to UK Building Regulations and BS6399. Snow loading capacity of 25kg/m2 and wind loading of 28 m/s.
This project demonstrates the standards that can be achieved with our temporary sport buildings. The facility is an exemplar of how we can work collaboratively to develop a bespoke design to meet the demands of the elite Olympians of tomorrow. The space is dynamic, flexible and is engineered to stand the test of time.
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