New £4.5m 'green' sports complex opens
by Pete Hayman | 18 Aug 2009
A new £4.5m sports and community complex, which has been designed to incorporate a number of environmentally friendly features, has opened to the public in west London.
The Little Venice Sports Centre on Crompton Street, which is the only venue in the area to be accredited by the Inclusive Fitness Initiative (IFI), includes four badminton courts, a large sports hall with underfloor heating and a multi-purpose dance and exercise studio. Designed by LCE Architects, the 1,800sq m (19,375sq ft) facility also features a 30-station fitness suite equipped by Matrix Fitness Systems and an IT training suite, which will house the Centre of Excellence for Physical Activity - part of the National Skills Academy for Sport and Active Leisure.
Westminster Council's Go Green board helped to plan the new complex, which boasts a sedum roof to absorb carbon dioxide and improve temperatures inside the venue through effective evaporation to humidify and cool air. Wind catchers have been installed on the roof to contribute towards the ventilation of the Little Venice Sports Centre, along with six large solar panels designed to reduce carbon emissions by 3.8 tonnes each year. Sun pipes to reduce the need for artificial lighting, as well as low energy electrical systems have also been implemented.
A £1.6m grant from Sport England helped to fund the new centre, which replaces the Old Crompton Street Children's Sport Centre, as well as funding from the council, Skills Active, the Big Lottery Fund and the John Lyon's Charity Trust. Ed Argar, the council's cabinet member for adult and community services, said: "The new centre is set to become a major sporting hub in central London with a focus on training, educating and developing coaches, volunteers and staff. It will also go a long way to enabling the local community to improve their fitness levels."
A new £4.5m sports and community complex, which has been designed to incorporate a number of environmentally friendly features, has opened to the public in west London. The Little Venice Sports Centre on Crompton Street, which is the only venue in the area to be accredited by the Inclusive Fitness Initiative (IFI), includes four badminton courts, a large sports hall with underfloor heating and a multi-purpose dance and exercise studio.
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