The University of Portsmouth’s new multi-million pound sports facility, with public realm by LDA Design, has been given the green light by the City’s Council.
It is the first major phase in the University’s ambitious plans to reshape its central campus to create a dynamic environment for students and to strengthen connections with the wider city. Local people will also benefit from greater access.
LDA Design is working with FaulknerBrowns to connect the state-of-the-art sports complex to its stunning Ravelin Park setting, one of the Portsmouth’s treasured green spaces, creating a new plaza, an urban orchard and new pedestrian routes through.
The plans will increase the number of trees in the Park and open up views to the buildings on Portsmouth’s Museum Road. The proposed new building has a pavilion-like feel: its largely glazed ground floor brings the outdoors in, giving pool users views of the park.
The scheme aims to set new standards for sustainability and to be one of the UK’s greenest sports facilities, boosting the University’s sport and fitness related research and innovation programmes. It is on target to become the UK’s first BREEAM Outstanding sports facility.
Neil Mattinson, Senior Board Director, LDA Design: “Our vision for this new temple to health and wellbeing is to create welcoming, active, much loved and richly planted shared spaces which benefit local people, University staff and students alike.”
