FaulknerBrowns Architects and LDA Design reveal Olympic-size ice rink for London
by Tom Walker | 17 Jul 2019
FaulkerBrowns Architects and LDA Design have unveiled designs for a new ice rink and urban park in east London.
Featuring an Olympic-size, twin-rink ice centre, the £30m project is being driven by client, the Lee Valley Regional Park Authority, which wants the new complex to replace the ageing Lee Valley Ice Centre.
The existing, 34-year-old ice centre attracts around 279,000 visits a year, but the venue is reaching the end of its working life and struggling to meet increasing demand.
The building would double the amount of ice and also expand the offer to include a health club and dance studio.
Plans also include the transformation of the surrounding landscape, replacing areas "devoid of ecological value" with significant native planting.
“Lee Valley Ice Centre is hugely popular, open up to 19 hours a day, seven days a week – but recent operational problems have shown that it’s reaching the end of its working life and if it’s not replaced, it will be lost," said Lee Valley Regional Park chief executive Shaun Dawson.
“We’re proposing a fantastic new ice centre which would also act as a gateway to the surrounding open space.
"It would be the only twin Olympic-sized venue in south-east England and would enable many more people to get active on the ice, as well as use the gym, dance studios, café and community spaces.
"We believe these opportunities would benefit people from the local community, across the capital and from the wider region.
Richard Arnold, Managing director of Wrenbridge Sport, the lead consultant on the project, added: “The proposed new ice centre will add to Lee Valley Regional Park Authority’s world-class sporting facilities, which already include Lee Valley VeloPark and Lee Valley White Water Centre, both of which were key venues for the London 2012 Olympics.
Lee Valley
Featuring an Olympic-size, twin-rink ice centre, the client is the Lee Valley Regional Park Authority
Credit: FaulknerBrowns
03 Dec 2018
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FaulkerBrowns Architects and LDA Design have unveiled designs for a new ice rink and urban park in east London. Featuring an Olympic-size, twin-rink ice centre, the £30m project is being driven by client, the Lee Valley Regional Park Authority, which wants the new complex to replace the ageing Lee Valley Ice Centre. The existing, 34-year-old ice centre attracts around 279,000 visits a year, but the venue is reaching the end
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"Culture is the beating heart of this project"
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