Henry Brothers has started work on a new £9m SportPark Pavilion 4 expansion at Loughborough University Science and Enterprise Park
SportPark Pavilion 4 will help Loughborough University to decarbonise its estate, meeting the Government’s zero carbon target by 2050, whilst creating 165 jobs.
The 2,000 sq m expansion, will increase the floor space of the building which currently houses the UK’s highest concentration of sports governing bodies and national sports organisations, by 25%.
Reducing CO2emissions
The development will enable occupants to reduce their carbon footprint and operating costs with heat pumps, triple-glazed windows that can be opened for natural ventilation, solar shading and well-insulated building fabric.
Ian Taylor, managing director of Henry Brothers Midlands, said: “We are excited to continue our successful on-going relationship with Loughborough University – helping to upgrade campus facilities and deliver new projects.
“As a Passivhaus development, SportPark Pavilion 4 builds on Henry Brothers’ growing portfolio of environmentally sound schemes and will be a fantastic addition to Loughborough University Science and Enterprise Park.”
Sports Innovation Hub
Professor Mike Caine, Loughborough University associate pro-vice-chancellor sport, said: “SportPark is a tremendous asset to the University and wider region – housing, as it does, complementary organisations, working in collaboration with the University, and harnessing the power of sport to benefit communities, locally, nationally, and around the world.
“SportPark Pavilion 4 will provide the capacity to welcome yet more mission-driven organisations to the University, and to further anchor the region as an internationally important Sports Innovation Hub.
“The SportPark expansion coincides with a growing number of innovation and technology-led sports businesses launching at, or relocating to, LUSEP, attracted to the collaborative environment and access to the University’s world-leading expertise in sports science, engineering, health and well-being, high-performance athlete base, and sports infrastructure.
“LUSEP is already one of the most accessible science parks in the UK, located one mile from Junction 23 of the M1. The recently completed £25m road improvements will ultimately create a further access point, even closer to the M1. This is particularly welcome news as LUSEP’s expansion continues, as part of the Loughborough and Leicester Science and Innovation Enterprise Zone.”
New jobs
SportPark Pavilion 4 will also support an additional 157 jobs in the wider economy.
Kevin Harris, chair of the LLEP board of directors, said: “We are delighted to see the construction of Pavilion 4 at SportPark commence. Our £6m Getting Building Fund investment will create a state-of-the-art facility, attracting more sport-related businesses to Leicestershire and generating further jobs in this expanding sector.
“Our sector research shows the sports sector has the potential to deliver £100m of growth by 2030. The low carbon Passivhaus design of the building will make a valuable contribution to reducing CO2emissions for Leicestershire, too.”
It will be the first Passivhaus development on the campus. Work is scheduled for completion in winter 2022.
