MPS to deliver M&E and civil / structural design

The Basildon Sporting Village scheme will provide state-of-the-art facilities for sports, leisure and education in Gloucester Park, Basildon and is identified as a potential training camp for the 2012 Olympics and Paralympic Games.

Construction work is set to begin in October on the project, led by Community Solutions for Leisure (CSL) which will deliver and operate the facility on behalf of Basildon District Council. Construction firm Morgan Ashurst has been appointed to design and build the new facility in an agreement worth £32.4 million.  MPS will carry out all the civil and structural engineering design and mechanical and electrical design. CSL, Morgan Ashurst and MPS are all part of leading construction and regeneration group Morgan Sindall. Once the facility is opened, it will be operated by Sports and Leisure Management (SLM) Ltd.
New indoor facilities will include a 50-metre, eight-lane swimming pool with a viewing area for 450 people; an eight-court multi-purpose sports hall with retractable seating for 480 people; a fully-equipped gymnastics centre; a multi-purpose studio; a 100-workstation health and fitness suite and a climbing wall. The centre will also accommodate meeting rooms, exhibition areas, a crèche and a café. It will support the existing athletics track, synthetic turf pitch, 12 outdoor netball courts and 10 grass pitches.
The scheme features a wide range of sustainable, energy-saving features including solar panels, a combined heat and power boiler and a natural ventilation system using ‘wind-catchers’ which channel air into the building. The project is due for completion in Spring 2011.
“We’re excited to be part of the team behind the creation of this cutting-edge facility and look forward to using our design and engineering expertise to help deliver this state-of-the-art sports complex,” says Andy Langley, MPS associate director, civil and structural engineering.