Wheels in motion for velodrome future-proofing
The city council has approved the upgrade of the HSBC UK National Cycling Centre on Stuart Street, prolonging the lifespan of the 25-year-old arena and ensuring that international events continue to be staged in Manchester.
Work to refurbish the 130,000 sq ft building will begin after the rescheduled Tokyo Olympics, to allow the Great Britain track cycling team to continue its preparations for the competition, and will focus on making the venue more energy efficient, Manchester City Council said.
The velodrome’s energy systems, lighting, roof, water supply, scoreboard and timing systems will all be upgraded in line with the council’s 2038 zero-carbon deadline.
In addition, the building’s sports courts, catering, and meeting spaces will also be revamped.
To help cut emissions, the velodrome’s existing gas boilers are to be replaced with air source heat pumps that will be housed within a newly constructed plant room on the north side of the building.
An external plant room will house air source heat pumps
Ellis Williams Architects is leading on the design of the project and ISG has been appointed as the main contractor.
Cllr Luthfur Rahman, Manchester City Council’s executive member for skills, culture and leisure, said: “The Velodrome is a structurally sound building but is now more than 25 years old and work is needed to future-proof it for the coming decades.
“We have made a long-term commitment to cycling in Manchester and have been working with British Cycling to thoroughly assess the building. This refurbishment scheme will bring the Velodrome up to modern standards, benefitting Team GB and all the Manchester residents who enjoy using the facility by keeping our city at the forefront of this exciting sport.”
Home to British Cycling since it opened in 1994, the National Cycling Centre is also known as Manchester Velodrome.
Well first the National Aquatic’s centre and now this. I’m impressed. However can Manchester not also put some money aside for maintaining and tidying public spaces. It’s an oldie but a goody…if only those same councillors would listen.
By Citizen
Completely agree with Citizen, really pleased with the investment in this and the aquatics center, but please invest in public realm, the pavements around the city center are awful and cluttered.
By Bob
Fair play, if you want to be the UK’s Sport City you have to invest to stay relevant, cities like Birmingham are literally 20 years behind.
By Rich X
Hope there’s some scope to make the building more welcoming to cyclists. As with many sports venues the frontage and vistor entrances are oddly opaque and car-focused. Some bright planters & greenery, outdoor cafe seating and working bike repair/bike wash facilities would go a long way.
By W