The Royal Borough of Greenwich will soon be opening its £80 million exemplar leisure centre in Woolwich town centre, which is central to the town’s regeneration. Opening later this year, Woolwich Waves – a name chosen by local residents – will replace the Waterfront Leisure Centre, which will stay open until the new centre is ready. The facility has been recognised by the council as being key to supporting residents

A £14 million redevelopment of the iconic Doncaster Dome, one of the youngest listed buildings in the UK, has begun. Designed by Neil Taylor and the team at FaulknerBrowns to echo the pink and cream banding of the Duomo in Florence, the building received a Grade II listing on the National Heritage List for England in 2023. The Doncaster Dome has been operated by the Doncaster Culture and Leisure Trust

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

Construction work has begun on a £53m sports facility at the University of Portsmouth in the UK. Designed by FaulknerBrowns Architects, the building will set new standards for sustainability for a sports building and is on target to be the first of this type in the UK to be BREEAM rated ‘Outstanding’. The building’s spaces provide opportunities to exploit natural light and ventilation, while top lighting of the sports hall

Enhanced designs have been submitted for a £42m waterpark and aquatic complex in Derby, UK. Original plans for the Moorways complex – designed by architects FaulknerBrowns – were approved in early 2018, but the current administration which took control of Derby City Council (DCC) in May 2018 ordered a review of the project. The original plans have now been extended to include more waterleisure space, including a waterpark featuring two

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

A major new indoor snow centre and leisure destination in Swindon, UK has been given the green light by the local council. Designed by sports and leisure specialists FaulknerBrowns Architects, the £270m (US$345m, €303m) project will include a 2,00sq m (21,500sq ft) snow centre featuring two real-snow slopes – measuring 75m and 170m in length. It will also house a 12-screen cinema with the largest IMAX screen in the UK;

Stirling Council has approved plans for a £20m (US$25.7m, €22.2m) transformation of the University of Stirling’s sports facilities. FaulknerBrowns Architects have drawn up plans for an iconic new sports building that integrates with the university's existing world-class facilities, which include national tennis and swimming academies. The University of Stirling Sports Centre will include purpose-built studios, a fitness suite, a three-court sports hall, indoor cycling studio, strength and conditioning area, as

Portsmouth City Council has approved plans for an inclusive and sustainable sports facility at University of Portsmouth. Designed by FaulknerBrowns Architects, the complex will include a 25m, eight-lane swimming pool, an eight-court sports hall, a health club with a 175-station gym and multifunctional studios, climbing and bouldering facilities, two flexible squash courts and a ski simulator. The building will also set new standards for sustainability for a sports building and

Architecture firm FaulknerBrowns have completed a dynamic €50m (US$61m, £44.4m) sports campus in The Hague’s historic Zuiderpark. Open to amateur and elite athletes and community users, the 34,000sq m (366,000sq ft) facility includes a gymnastics hall, beach sports venue, 3,500 capacity arena and a multi-purpose sports hall, as well as a variety of sports science and education spaces, including a public library. Outside, there are a series of multi-use pitches,

Sports and leisure specialists FaulknerBrowns Architects have submitted a planning application for a major new indoor snow centre and leisure destination in Swindon, UK. Plans for the destination include a 2,00sq m (21,500sq ft) snow centre featuring two real-snow slopes; a 12-screen cinema with the largest IMAX screen in the UK; a bowling alley; an indoor trampolining centre; a 130-room hotel; and a variety of shops, bars and restaurants. The

The University of Portsmouth has unveiled ambitious plans for a sustainable sports facility designed by architecture practice FaulknerBrowns. The complex, located on the corner of Portsmouth’s Ravelin Park, is the first major phase of the university’s £400m (US$569m, €455m) estate development masterplan, which aims to reshape its city centre campus to enhance the student experience and establish a public-facing presence in the city centre. The proposals – developed to “promote

The city council of Derby, UK, has unveiled ambitious plans for a new swimming and leisure facility designed by international design practice FaulknerBrowns Architects and overseen by project managers Mace. The proposals include a ten-lane, 50m swimming pool; a leisure water area for families; a learner pool; a gym; fitness studios; a sauna; steam rooms; a café and a soft play area. The adaptable main pool will contain two booms

British architecture practice FaulknerBrowns have been selected to design a £50m (US$64m, €54.3m) indoor sports centre for the University of Portsmouth. The building, to be situated on the University's campus in Ravelin Park, will feature an eight-lane swimming pool, a fitness suite, a sports hall, a climbing wall and squash courts, in addition to spaces for exhibitions and social and community events. While further design details have not been revealed

A consortium including British architects FaulknerBrowns has been appointed as the preferred developer to regenerate Queen’s Parade in Bangor, Northern Ireland. Investment manager Cubic3 is leading the group, called Angelvale, which includes a number of international entertainment and leisure investors and operators. FaulknerBrowns are the team’s masterplanners. Queen’s Parade is best known as a traditional seaside holiday destination, and is surrounded by vibrant Edwardian and Victorian buildings and a popular

National sporting infrastructure in Ireland has received a major boost with the delivery of the €41m (US$44m, £35m) National Indoor Arena in Dublin, which will be officially opened today (26 January). Located within the wider National Sports Campus, the new 44,500sqm (479,000sq ft) facility can accommodate 1,900 spectators and host 20 multi-disciplinary sports. It includes an internationally certified running track and training hub for athletics, a gymnastics centre, a 12

Planning approval for a “game-changing” £37m (US$49m, €43.7m) water park has been granted by Coventry City Council. The FaulknerBrowns-designed facility – which is located in the city’s town centre, and was funded by both private and public investment – is expected to open its doors in 2018. As well as flume rides the water park contains toddler areas, leisure water and lane swimming. Most of the water features and high

This week leisure architecture was celebrated in two high-profile competitions: RIBA’s first International Prize and the Aga Khan Architecture Award. The first is seeking the best building, anywhere in the world, created in the last three years, while the second celebrates projects that exhibit architectural excellence and improve the overall quality of life. Between them, the two competitions have shortlisted public buildings, housing, schools and hospitals alongside acclaimed leisure buildings

FaulknerBrowns Architects partner Michael Hall has described how the studio’s planned indoor waterpark project in Coventry, UK, uses elegant and community-focused design to create a “high octane” and “holistic” type of health and fitness facility. The practice has this week submitted its plans for the £36.7m (US$51.8m, €46.4m) Coventry Water Park – which will include a wave pool, six flume rides, a lazy river toddlers’ splash area, a 25m pool,

British architecture studio FaulknerBrowns have unveiled the second phase of their major riverside regeneration project in Durham, northern England, which aims to create a new “regional and national destination” in the historic city. A planning application has today (18 April) been submitted for the redevelopment of Milburngate House, a passport office, into a 2 hectare mixed-use development with extensive public realm along the River Wear. The £150m (US$199m, €176m) project