Contractor set to secure 2014 venue contract
Sir Robert McAlpine, the Hertfordshire-based company, is set to be named as the main contractor for the new £120m National Indoor Sports Arena (NISA) and the Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome venues in Glasgow.
A report due to go before Glasgow City Council's (GCC) executive committee on 14 August has identified Sir Robert McAlpine as its preferred contractor from a shortlist of four firms, which also included Laing O'Rourke, Bovis Lend Lease and BAM. The proposed NISA and Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome are both set to be used during the 2014 Commonwealth Games, while also providing Scotland's first purpose-built indoor cycling venue and a range of new community facilities.
Facilities at the 5,000-seat NISA will comprise a 200m athletics track with hydraulic bends and field event facilities and three adjacent sports halls to be used as warm-up spaces for the main arena, as well as being used as sports training and events spaces in their own right. The 2,000-seat Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome will also offer provision within the main track for a roller sport park, while a new community sports and leisure centre with sports hall, dance studio, gym and spa facilities will be created as part of the project, along with a créche, outdoor five-a-side football provision and a café.
Elite athlete facilities, comprising a conditioning suite, physiotherapy areas, medical rooms and seminar spaces will also form part of the development, along with a new headquarters for sportscotland and the Culture and Sport Glasgow sports development team. Meanwhile, it has been revealed that the council has concluded a deal with renowned Velodrome architect Ralph Schuermann to design the Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome track, having previously worked on similar facilities for the 2008 Beijing Olympic Velodrome.
Construction work is expected to start on site in by the end of the year, and is scheduled to be completed by early 2012. The Velodrome track is set to be installed in spring 2012.