Start of £28m sports building for Solent University

Work has began on a £28m sports building at Solent University as part of an ongoing £100m estates development plan, which is transforming Solent’s East Park Terrace (EPT) campus.

The new sports building will comprise of two sports halls, three fitness studios, a health and wellbeing gym, a strength and conditioning gym and high quality teaching facilities. Parking will also be available underneath the building.

The development has been designed by lead contractor Morgan Sindall and their team, including Architecture PLB and Arup engineers, supported by planning consultants JLL.

The new structure will sit alongside the university’s primary learning and teaching building, the Spark. The university has been rated 31 out of 127 for its facilities in the Whatuni Student Choice Awards, which are based on 27,000 student reviews of universities, and was recently named Most Improved University at the British Universities and Colleges Sport (BUCS) National Awards.

“This building will not only enhance the learning experience for our students and staff, but also deepen the university's connections with our wider local community, supporting the regions’ economic growth and development,” says Graham Baldwin, vice-chancellor at Southampton Solent University.

The building is set to open to students in summer 2019.