Work has started on the £68.7 million refurbishment of the historic Kings Hall Leisure Centre in Hackney, with a planned reopening in early 2029. FaulknerBrowns Architects have drawn up the designs, which will preserve the features of the Grade II listed building, retaining important parts of the building’s heritage. New structures will be matched with the existing brickwork.   The swimming pool will be refurbished and a new large pool and

Cox Architecture and Hassell have been appointed by the government of Queensland, Australia, to lead the design of the new Brisbane Stadium.   The venue will host the opening and closing ceremonies for the 2032 Olympics and Paralympic games, as well as the athletics events.  Located within Victoria Park, the stadium will also be the home of Aussie rules football (AFL) and cricket, while also being designed to host entertainment events. 

Go Fit has been brought on board by Club Atlético de Madrid for the €800 million Sport City project which is being designed by architects Cruz y Ortiz. This ambitious project is a partnership between the football club and Madrid City Council to turn the north-eastern area of Madrid into an international benchmark for live entertainment. The extensive leisure and sports complex will be sited on a 115-hectare municipal plot

Iberian health and wellness operator, Go Fit, has made its debut in Italy – at Turin’s former flower market, Mercato dei Fiori – and is now exploring further opportunities in Milan and Bologna. The 14,000sq m site, which was previously derelict has been completely regenerated, including extensive asbestos removal. Local architect Benedetto Camerana, worked on the scheme, along with engineering and project management specialists. The new club offers more than

Work is underway on a £19.7 million waterfront leisure centre in Newport, which will be one of the UK's first net zero leisure centres. Replacing an ageing facility, Newport Leisure Centre is being built to BREEAM standards and will be powered solely by renewable energy. Expected to be completed in the spring, the facilities will include a modern leisure pool, with a lazy river and slides, a teaching pool for

Perth and Kinross Council has officially opened the £36 million Blairgowrie Recreation Centre – Scotland’s first Passivhaus leisure development. Designed by architects Holmes Miller, which specialises in carbon neutral development, the leisure centre sets a new benchmark for sustainable sports and leisure buildings in Scotland. The UK currently has only one other leisure centre built to Passivhaus standards: St Sidwell’s Point in Exeter, Devon. Blairgowrie replaces an outdated 1980s facility,

Work is underway in the London Borough of Ealing on a landmark leisure centre to replace the old Gurnell Leisure Centre, which remained closed after COVID. The modern complex will include London’s third Olympic-sized swimming pool, a waterpark with slides, fitness studios, a climbing wall, a soft play area and a café. Outside will be a new skatepark, BMX track and children’s playground. Green space around the new leisure centre

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

Go Fit has invested more than €20 million in its latest development, a 22,000 square metre sports and wellness hub in Tenerife, next to Heliodoro Rodríguez López Stadium. This is the Iberian operator’s second site in the Canary Islands, following a launch in Las Palmas in 2015. Go Fit now has 21 operating sites and will expand into Italy this year. Strategic European cities are being targeted for projects where

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-based family members’ club, Little Houses Group (LHG), is set to expand following new investment from Blackstone. The fresh backing will enable LHG to bring its community-focused concept to more families across the capital, adding to its existing sites – Jaego’s House in Kensal Rise and Jesse’s House in Parsons Green. Three more houses are in the pipeline – Orly’s House, Leo’s House and Olive’s House – but the locations

Fitness and leisure facilities in Sheerness, UK, are being upgraded as part of a regeneration project, Sheerness Revival, funded by the UK government. Swale Borough Council has appointed Alliance Leisure to manage this flagship project that will breathe new life into the town. The Beachfields site, which is situated near the town centre, waterfront and train station will be reimagined as a hub for leisure, health and community engagement. Sheppey

David Lloyd Clubs launched its latest site at Bury St Edmunds, UK, yesterday (3 December,) which has been under construction since last year. Facilities include a 100+ station gym featuring an Intuitive Strength Circuit; heated indoor and outdoor swimming pools; tennis, padel, badminton and pickleball courts; group exercise studios with the full range of signature David Lloyd Clubs’ classes, including Blaze, Spirit, Ign1te, Battlebox and Rebels. There is also a

Global wellbeing organisation Therme Group has acquired Therme Erding – a vast 145,000sq ft wellbeing destination located near Munich in Germany. Recognised as one of Europe’s largest thermal wellbeing complexes, Therme Erding features a 40-pool bathing oasis, 35 steam baths and saunas and 28 indoor and outdoor slides. Founded by architect and entrepreneur Josef Wund in 1999, the facility has become a cornerstone of the European wellness industry. The acquisition

Center Parcs is pursuing plans to develop its first-ever holiday village in Scotland. The proposed project will feature 700 lodges, a luxury spa and extensive leisure facilities, with a projected investment of £350-400 million (US$443-507 million, €418-480 million), pending planning approval. Located in the Scottish Borders, north of Hawick and south of Selkirk, the site is approximately a 90-minute drive from both Edinburgh and Newcastle and two hours from Glasgow.

Spelthorne Borough Council has opened the doors to a world-leading leisure centre built to Passivhaus standards. Spelthorne Borough Council is expecting the new Eclipse Leisure Centre to use between 60 and 70 per cent less energy than a typical modern leisure centre and will be a major step forward in helping the Council become carbon neutral. Located in Staines-upon-Thames, the facility includes a 25 metre main pool, learner pool, splash

The padel craze continues with the launch of a new club at Champneys Mottram Hall in Cheshire and a pop-up at London’s Marble Arch. Developed by The Padel Group, The Hook Club at Champneys Mottram Hall, is a £400,000, three-court padel venue with installation by Padelgest, supported by a clubhouse for pre- and post-match socialising and a heated patio area in the landscaped grounds. The venue is open to anyone

Populous have unveiled their plans for a state-of-the-art e-sports arena, designed to stand as a central landmark in Qiddaya City’s gaming and e-sports district, Saudi Arabia. The 5,155-seat venue will be designed to accommodate multiple experiences that prioritise players and spectators, as well as hosting both national and international esports events. The stadium will include the largest combined total video screen area of any esports arena in the world, with

The Walton family, owner of US supermarket chain, Walmart, has opened the doors to a new corporate health, fitness and wellness centre at the company's Bentonville campus. The Walton Family Whole Health and Fitness and Children’s Enrichment Center by Duda Paine Architects, represents a significant investment in the health of Walmart employees. The fitness centre runs to 360,000sq ft, while the children's centre covers 73,000sq ft. According to Alice Walton

Huafa Snow World, a 131-hectare sport and entertainment destination in Shenzhen, China, designed by architecture firm, 10 Design is slated to open in 2025. The development is anchored by a 80,000sq m indoor ski resort, currently expected to be the largest of its kind in the world when it opens. Huafa Snow World will have a balance of retail, entertainment, commercial, hospitality, civic and cultural elements with the aim of

With between 18 and 30 per cent of the populations of developed countries living in rural locations, this market will be the next frontier for expansion in the fitness industry, according to insight published in HCM magazine. The challenge is creating the right business model. Fit+ is a staffless and digitalised concept which founder Torsten Boorberg believes can work anywhere. A 390sq ft (36sq m) club in Bad Doberan, Germany,

KSL-owned Third Space has unveiled its latest club in Wimbledon, south-west London. The development marks the first of many forays into residential locations for the operator, following the recent securing of a loan facility of £88.5m. This is the ninth club from the premium fitness operator which has four further openings slated for residential areas of London in the next two years: Battersea, Clapham Junction and Wood Wharf in 2024

The first ever Siro hotel, marketed as the "ultimate fitness and recovery hotel", is now accepting reservations. Set to open its doors in February 2024 at the One Za'abeel development in Dubai, the property marks the debut for Siro – a new, fitness and recovery brand developed by Kerzner International. Siro One Za'abeel will offer guests experiences built around the brand's five specific "biohacking pillars" – fitness, nutrition, sleep, recovery

A network of Sports Illustrated branded resort and lifestyle complexes will launch in the US following a deal between Travel + Leisure Co and Sports Hospitality Ventures (SHV) – the hotel and resorts licensee for the Sports Illustrated brand in North America and the Caribbean. Each Sports Illustrated Resort campus is expected to feature a full-service hotel, a vacation club and residences, as well as a host of branded attractions

Fitness entrepreneurs Jon Williams, CEO, and Tom Edwards, COO, have co-founded a new high-end club in central Watford, Forest House Health and Wellness, with a group of health and fitness specialists. Along with Williams and Edwards, the co-founding members are: Steve Lewis, chairman, Bharat Hindocha, CFO, Raj Rattan and Rob Marsh. The first club will be opening its doors to the public in June 2023 which will be the sixth

Nike has made the leap into the group fitness market with the launch of Nike Studios. The offering – in partnership with FitLab – is being billed as “a new generation of group fitness for every body and every goal.” Classes will be led by Nike trainers. The first physical locations will be in West Hollywood, LA, and upmarket Newport Beach in Southern California, near the headquarters of FitLab. Nike Studios

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