Carnegie School of Sport

The Carnegie Teaching and Research Building, at Leeds Beckett University, Headingley Campus, will be home to students and academics from the Carnegie School of Sport.

The £45m development will be a base for the school’s undergraduate, postgraduate and research programmes and will provide a hub for the elite athletes who use the university’s sports performance expertise as well as professional sports clubs such as Leeds United and Leeds Rhinos RLFC conducting medicals for new signings.

The new facility creates a modern addition to a traditional campus, reflecting existing historic buildings through a narrative of vertical fenestration panels and its contemporary material palette. Concave aluminium panels reflect back in reverse Doric columns allowing an interplay of light across the building. Unique features include a 60m indoor sprint track on the roof, an environmental chamber which can mimic different altitudes and environments, lecture theatres, research laboratories and social learning spaces. The elevated 60m competitive indoor sprint track is wrapped in red anodised panels, patterned with a cross section of muscle – the unifying element across all disciplines within the School.

The procurement route was Design & Construct, with a two stage process utilising the YORBuild Framework. The first stage considered bids from 8 national contractors at RIBA Stage 3. All subcontract packages were negotiated with the successful Contractor during the second stage at RIBA Stage 4. A robust check and challenge process, during the second stage audit, returned over £2m of savings prior to Building Contract. Post-contract cost control ensured the building, client changes and risk items were managed within the overall cost envelope to deliver a successful outcome versus budget.

The new building unites the School of Sport which is currently dispersed over five buildings into one for the first time. To facilitate this, two blocks running perpendicular to the indoor running track are joined by a central atrium with double height glazing offering long ranging views over outdoor athletics provision visually linking indoor and outdoor use. Adjacencies have also been carefully considered to support collaborative working practices within the School.