Solent University Sports Complex

Client
Solent University
Contractor
Value
£21.4m
Completion Date
March 2019

A new build four-storey steel frame building which includes two sports halls, three fitness studios, a health and well-being gym, a strength and conditioning high-performance gym and high-quality teaching facilities on a live university campus. The scheme also includes underground car parking.

The Challenge

The ambitious vision for the University was to create a new sports facility to improve and modernise the University’s offering and enable excellence in sport, health and fitness related degree programmes and associated teaching and research for staff, students and the local community.

The Solution

The seminar and gym areas of the sports complex are fitted with 20mm soft joints between the room floor slabs. These help to isolate them and significantly reduce the vibration that passes through them. In the weight training area, they went a step further and introduced a cast in-situ reinforced concrete sprung floor. This innovation means that the sports hall can be enjoyed by everyone, no matter what activity they are involved in.

The iconic cladding system to the tower block represents the former use of the site with historical maps – a subtle presence in the perforation in the cladding system next to the standout face brickwork wrapping the sports halls. The building has provided a head turning modern build in Southampton’s old city centre.

The Results

The city centre project was constructed within a 86 week programme, delivering a four-storey sports complex with state-of-the-art gyms for both student and staff use. Along the stacked tower block of gyms and studios, the project had two full sized sports halls; one for multi-use catering for over 13 different sports, the other was dedicated to basketball, allowing Student Kestrels, the university’s leading sports team, a home court. Below the sports halls, basement parking was provided for staff, students and the public as well as accessible parking bays.

The project is a visually stunning, flagship sports facility which is enhancing Solent University’s offering in advanced sports degree courses, and it is already attracting more students to the local area and inspiring people to take part in sport.

Apprentices

85.6%

SME Spend

£396,204

Added Value

8/10

Client Satisfaction

Client Testimonials

Morgan Sindall is extremely collaborative and work well as a team. They communicate effectively and share the common goals of the project; this ensured the end result of the finished facility. The work was of good quality, and they worked well with the consultants and wider team which has benefited the project. With regards to the relationship with the MS team, it has been the best project I have been involved in with key members of the Morgan Sindall team going the extra mile. It felt like you were part of the team. True collaboration for the whole of the project.

Kevin WallsSolent University

Contractor Performance | Commitments

Fair

100% payment within 30 days terms

Sustainability

99% waste diverted from landfill

100% timber responsibly sourced

Safe

Zero RIDDORs
CCS Score 44/45

Legacy

36 No of SMEs

59 beneficiaries

18 jobs created & 184 trainee weeks

Schools’ engagement: 577 students

£3,046 donations to charity & 1,845 volunteer hours

84% social value created

Aftercare

Soft landings for handover

Dedicated Morgan Sindall point of contact

On-line portal for notifying any defects with
3 priority categories for response times

Solent received the University Bronze Charter Mark award from England Athletics, one of only 6 universities to receive a charter mark award to date.

&

Construction News Award 2020 – Community Engagement Project of the Year

SCF Framework Manager

James Wright

Email: james.wright@hants.gov.uk

Phone: : 07761 330560

Contractor Framework Manager

Alan Smedley

Email: alan.smedley@morgansindall.com

Phone: 07967 686066

Solent University Sports Complex