FaulknerBrowns delivers new Lee Valley Ice Centre with two Olympic rinks
London has a new double Olympic skating centre following a £30m investment by the Lee Valley Regional Park Authority.
The aim is to encourage physical activity and community within the local population.
In addition to the rinks, it has a large gym and a dance studio, as well as community spaces and a café.
Designed by architects FaulkerBrowns, The Lee Valley Ice Centre will open on Saturday 17 June, with management by GLL's Better brand.
The development – on the site of the old Lee Valley Ice Centre – also received funding from the London Borough of Waltham Forest and is expected to add around £1.5m to the local economy each year.
It's also forecast to attract half a million visitors a year – double that of the previous facility.
The centre, which was completed within budget, is one of only three venues in the UK to have two Olympic-sized rinks and the only one in the south. The others being the National Ice Centre in Nottingham and Ice Sheffield.
The ice centre will be open seven days a week from 6.00am to 11.00pm.
The building is surrounded by £1.5m of landscaping, planting and environmental improvements and has been planned as a setting-off point for exploring the nearby open spaces of the Lee Valley Regional Park.
The building has strong eco-credentials, with solar and photovoltaic arrays and water-efficient rinks which will be cheaper to run.
The centre will offer public sessions, where everyone can try skating, sessions from top coaches, ice dance, synchronised skating, ice hockey and ice discos, as well as community engagement activities.
Shaun Dawson, CEO of Lee Valley Regional Park Authority, said: “This world class centre is at the cutting edge of leisure. It replaces our much-loved old venue which served the community for 37 years as a space for people of all ages to meet, socialise and exercise. I’m delighted we've been able to go so far beyond what the old venue offered and that we’re opening this new centre less than two years since construction started. We're excited to see communities here enjoying everything the centre has to offer and for it to become home to the next generation of skaters.”
Booking is needed for all skaters at the opening day, when everyone will be able to skate for £1.
About the Lee Valley Regional Park Authority
Lee Valley Regional Park Authority is a statutory body with a remit for sport, leisure, conservation and open spaces through the 26 mile-long Lee Valley Regional Park, which follows the River Lee from the Thames, through east and north London into Essex and Hertfordshire.
Founded by an Act of Parliament, the organisation has more than 50 years’ experience of developing and running sports venues and parklands.
Today the organisation's 10,000 acres of land comprise a diverse mix of heritage sites, nature reserves and green spaces, including eight Sites of Special Scientific Interest, alongside sports venues, campsites, marinas and gardens. The portfolio attracts eight million visits a year.
Lee Valley Regional Park Authority owns three London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games venues – the Lee Valley VeloPark and Lee Valley Hockey and Tennis Centre in Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park and Lee Valley White Water Centre in Hertfordshire.
Lee Valley Regional Park Authority Lee Valley Ice Centre FaulknerBrownsPeter Bundey takes the reins at GLL as Mark Sesnan moves to non-exec role
Sesnan questions Tower Hamlet insourcing decision – says it will increase costs by £2.1m a year
GLL to manage Lee Valley's sporting venues
GLL's Mark Sesnan awarded OBE for services to the leisure industry
GLL chief calls for probe of ‘sham’ leisure trusts
FEATURE: Talking point – The cost of living crisis
BIG unveils Eve Music Hall as Croatia venue nears completion
Bob Rogers hands BRC to long-serving leadership team
Wellness care hospital opens in Vilnius with innovative spa and hospitality concept
Universal and Puy du Fou projects point to rise of Oxford–Cambridge corridor
A proposed Puy du Fou development near Bicester and Universal Destinations and Experiences’ planned resort in Bedford are emerging as part of a wider transformation of the Oxford–Cambridge Growth Corridor into a major centre for UK leisure and tourism investment.
For years, the corridor has been associated primarily with science, technology, housing and university-led economic growth. However, the clustering of large-scale visitor attraction projects along the
All-inclusive eco-wellness development Auko to open near Vietnam’s Son Doong caves
Shedd Aquarium upgrades its visitor experience with new Immersion Theater
Shedd Aquarium has opened the Immersion Theater developed in partnership with SimEx-Iwerks, as part of a wider strategy to enhance the guest experience and create additional revenue opportunities.
The attraction has transformed the aquarium’s Phelps Auditorium into a multi-sensory venue combining panoramic projection, environmental effects and interactive technology.
A new pre-show area allows visitors to engage with augmented reality marine animals before entering the
MCR is planning a luxury hotel for London's BT Tower
Joy as a radical act: Yinka Ilori launches solo exhibition celebrating the rebellious power of spreading happiness
Work gets underway on Madrid's €800 million leisure complex
Work is underway in Madrid on one of Europe’s most significant multi-functional complexes, combining sport, entertainment, culture and education.
The €800 million initiative to regenerate the former Olympic Aquatic Centre in the north-east of the city, next to the Riyadh Air Metropolitano stadium, is being led by Barsento – a joint venture between Live Nation Entertainment, Oak View Group and Atlético de Madrid. The project will
Therme Manchester reveals 90:90 strategy – 90 per cent of the UK population within a 90-minute drive of a Therme
Four Seasons’ Naples Beach Club opens 2,800sq m Sanctuary spa inspired by indigenous Calusa people
Orient Express Corinthian to host Ocean Rebirth wellness retreat in collaboration with Guerlain
Famed London nightclub, Tramp, launches Tramp Health
First look: Miraval opens on the Red Sea in Saudi Arabia
Hainan Science Museum by Ma Yansong, opens in China
A new science museum has opened to the public in Haikou after attracting more than 350,000 visitors during a four-month soft opening period.
Designed by Ma Yansong and his practice MAD Architects, the Hainan Science Museum is located on the edge of Wuyuan River National Wetland Park and has already recorded peak attendance of more than 5,800 visitors in a single day.
Commissioned by
Zannier Île De Bendor launches with design by Hardel Le Bihan Architectes
Sæl Spa readies for launch in London: “a modern British sanctuary”
Immersive art bathhouse Submersive announces debut location in Austin
Construction begins on regenerative wellness destination The Shenandoah Nature Resort
Royal Caribbean reveals record-breaking cruise ship
V&A East opens in London
David Geffen galleries open at LACMA
New venue The Lands by Capella includes a longevity centre to complement sister hotel Capella Sydney
World of Frozen launches at Disneyland Paris
Pical Resort by Valamar reveals first Croatian spa under the ESPA brand
Mandarin Oriental creates end-to-end Egyptian journey with two new hotels and first-ever luxury river cruise
Designers Mendil + Meyer launch new division called Lām Concepts for strategic wellness projects
Wilderness Bisate in Rwanda reveals brand’s second Sanctuary spa
4a Architekten shares details of wellness extension at Salinarium Bad Dürkheim Thermal Spa
BodyHoliday plans 10-15 locations in the next 15 years
Designed to restore neglected land and renew the identity of Iraq’s capital city, Baghdad Sustainable Forests promises a new way of living surrounded by nature. Gensler’s Ian Mulcahay tells us why he thinks the project could become a model for the repair and enhancement of urban centres
