10 August 2009
Glasgow City Council will this week consider a report recommending the preferred construction works contractor - Sir Robert McAlpine Ltd - to deliver the National Indoor Sports Arena (NISA) and Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome, a facility that will host two events at the 2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Games.
The NISA and velodrome - which will be one of the biggest indoor sports facilities of its type in Europe - will be located on a 10.5 hectare site in the East End of Glasgow, close to Celtic Park and the Commonwealth Games Athletes’ Village.
This will be the principal new dedicated sports facility for the 2014 Commonwealth Games, and will be Scotland’s first indoor velodrome, building on the celebrated successes of Sir Chris Hoy and other Scottish cyclists.
The indoor arena will have 5,000 spectator seats for sporting competitions, while the velodrome will have a further 2,000 seated and 500 standing spectators viewing a 250-metre cycle track. Viewing capacity for the velodrome will be extended to 4,000 for the duration of the 2014 Commonwealth Games, where the venue will host the badminton and track cycling events.
The facility will be a national training centre for athletics, basketball, netball, track cycling and volleyball, and will include Scotland’s first dedicated indoor velodrome, providing elite training and an international competition standard venue.
The velodrome track will be designed by the internationally renowned designer Ralph Schuermann. Mr Schuermann designed the 2008 Olympic Games velodrome in Beijing, and some of the other notable track designs he worked on include the Minsk Arena in Belarus and the National Arena Pruszkow BGZ Arena in Poland. The design of the velodrome’s track - and its accreditation by the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) - is absolutely key to the success of the Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome as an event arena.
The new headquarters of sportscotland, the national sports agency, will be located on the same site, adjacent to the NISA and velodrome.
The facility will also be the administrative base for several other national sports federations and Culture and Sport Glasgow’s sports development unit. Other features include a community sports centre with sports halls, outdoor floodlit 5-a-side courts, extensive health and fitness provision, indoor roller sports park, provision for cycling and a crèche. There will be dedicated and shared facilities for school use.
The construction project will require a total workforce of 200, including 20 new apprenticeship places, and 84 staff will be employed by Culture and Sport Glasgow to operate the venue, once opened.
Four tenders were considered under the final scoring processes, whose key criteria included price, technical detail and community benefit.
The recommendation will be go before councillors at the Council’s Executive Committee on Friday, August 14.
Councillor Steven Purcell, Leader of Glasgow City Council, said: "The National Indoor Sports Arena and Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome will be world-class venues able to attract sporting competitions of the highest standard to Glasgow, as well as providing a fantastic community facility that presents the chance and challenge to improve health and fitness levels. The design and construction of this state-of-the-art facility will offer employment, training and skills opportunities to local people, and will be a real asset for the city and country for decades to come."
John Scott, Chief Executive of Glasgow 2014 Limited, the Organising Company for the Commonwealth Games, said: "We are focused on delivering an athlete-centred Games in 2014 and the successful delivery of the NISA and Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome will significantly contribute to providing athletes with a truly outstanding sporting experience. These world-class venues will facilitate elite athlete training in preparation of the Games, and leave a lasting sport and economic legacy for people in Glasgow and across Scotland. This is another major milestone on our journey to 2014."
Louise Martin CBE, Chair of sportscotland said: "This is a landmark facility, not just for the 2014 Commonwealth Games, but for the future training and competition opportunities for so many sports in Scotland. Cycling in particular will benefit immensely. Scotland has an excellent track record of producing world class cyclists and this fantastic new indoor facility can only help further."
Michael Cavanagh, Chairman of Commonwealth Games Scotland said: "This is another milestone in the exciting journey towards the Commonwealth Games in 2014. As our plans for the Games continue to roll out and become a reality, I am sure it will inspire our athletes to train even harder to be on the podium at a home Games."
Sports Minister Shona Robison said: "With five years to go until the opening ceremony, we continue to be on track to deliver a world class Commonwealth Games. The development of the National Indoor Sports Arena and Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome will showcase Glasgow and Scotland to an international audience, and continue to benefit the country for generations to come."
The main funder of the facility is Glasgow City Council, with contributions of £11million from Glasgow 2014 Ltd and £15million from sportscotland, as part of the Scottish Government’s national and Regional Sports Facilities Strategy. The forecasted cost of the project is £116,311,000, comprising construction works costs of £94,721,000, fit-out costs of £4,811,000, fees and ancillary charges of £13,779,000 and a central contingency of £3,000,000.
The report going to the Executive Committee will note that these costs are in line with the estimated Commonwealth Games Bid Document cost of £98,100,000 (at April 2007 prices) for the project, once adjusted for design development and inflation.
Given previous Glasgow City Council approved funding and the contributions of Glasgow 2014 Ltd and sportscotland, the balance of funding required by the Council to complete the project is £80,830,572.
Construction work is due to begin towards the end of 2009, with contract completion expected in early 2012, with velodrome track installation expected in Spring 2012.
The full building details for the National Indoor Sports Arena (NISA) and Velodrome are as follows:
NISA:
- A flexible 5,000 seater events arena capable of staging international and world sporting events in a wide range of sports
- 200-metre athletics track (six lanes, hydraulic bends, infield used for indoor athletics field competition, or court sports training and casual use and high jump training)
- 137-metre warm-up sprint straight (including horizontal jumps pit and margins)
- Pole vault in training area outside athletics track
- Throwing cage in training area outside athletics track
- Conditioning area in training area outside athletics track
- 5,000 spectator seats (fixed seats and telescopic seats, attached and detachable, capable of providing various seating configurations for sports events. 4,960 seats in Athletics mode)
- Three sports halls (includes community sports hall, linear design timber sprung floor, capable of hosting events for up to 1,200 spectators, utilising detachable telescopic seating units shared with arena)
- Ancillary facilities (Athletes Team Changing Rooms, Referee changing Rooms, Equipment Storage, First Aid, Event Control Space)
Velodrome:
- 250-metre cycle track (timber track)
- 1.2-metre depressed track centre (concrete; used for cycling competition, or demountable roller sports park, or court sports)
- 2,500 spectator capacity (1,946 fixed seats, 500 standing spaces)
- temporary 4,000 spectator target capacity (Velodrome concourse large enough to accommodate additional 2,000 temporary seats)
- Closed Road Circuit (external)
- Ancillary facilities (cyclists and roller sport changing facilities, cycle stores for national squad, clubs and for hire, hire station and workshop, equipment stores, event control space)
Shared Elite Athletes/ Cyclist Facilities:
- Conditioning Suite (237 square metres)
- Physiotherapy (37 square metres)
- Doping Control (45 square metres)
Common Spectator Facilities:
- Main Concourse (Box Office, three Catering Concessions, some Sanitary Facilities, First Aid)
- Hospitality Facilities (320 square metres divisable function room overlooking arena and Velodrome, venue kitchen, stores)
Common Event Support Spaces/ Meeting Room Resources:
- Media Accommodation (Press Conference Room, Media Centre, Media Hospitality)
- Event Support Spaces (Events Organiser Office, Jury Office, Officials Lounge & Registration Area)
Community Sports Centre:
- Sports Hall (See Arena)
- Dance Studio (236 square metres, timber sprung floor)
- Gym (546 square metres open plan, plus consultation room, 75 square metres Spin Studio, 75 square metres Mind & Body Studio)
- Spa (incl. sanarium, sauna, steam room, caldarium, vitality pool, two treatment rooms, dedicated relaxation space)
- Outdoor facilities (four 5-a-side football pitches, floodlit)
- Ancillary facilities (Changing Rooms)
Sports Federation Offices:
- Office Suites (Bespoke offices Cat B and stores)
- Shared Ancillary Accommodation (Sports Lounge, meeting room, kitchen and sanitary facilities)
Culture and Sport Glasgow Offices:
- Offices (open plan office, two offices)
- Ancillary Accommodation (Kitchens / coffee stations, sanitary facilities)
Common Facilities:
- Café (323 square metres, including kitchen, sanitary facilities)
- Reception (public reception and access control)
Facility Management:
- Offices (open plan office, two office spaces)
- Ancillary Facilities (staff rest room, staff changing village, sanitary facilities)
- Cleaner Stores on all floors
External Works:
- Parking (415 car spaces, 26 disabled bays, 54 cycle spaces, OB parking areas for Velodrome and arena within above parking area, 10,300 square metres events overflow parking area shared with Celtic coach park. Taxi and coach drop-off zone off access road).
- Landscaping (hard landscaped upper and lower plaza, connected by sculptured wall, soft landscaping, temporary landscaping of future development sites located north west and east of the arena).