Luton dives into national sporting celebration

A signature project in Bedfordshire has been completed on time and to budget, with excellent timing to tap into the sporting fervour created in the country in the past month.

The new £26 million Aquatics Centre in Luton has been handed over to Luton Learning & Community Partnership and is already open to the public. A state-of-the art facility for the residents of the area, it is a vision of how flexible modern day concrete is.

As well as the hard-wearing concrete floor in high traffic areas, the main pool facilities of the new centre demanded great expertise.

Two pools are provided, the main one of which is a 50m, eight-lane pool, complete with a seating for up to 400 spectators. The pool also includes a moveable concrete floor and boom, in order to provide a venue for national competitions.

The 20m, five-lane community pool also has a moveable concrete floor, providing the perfect area for swimmers of all age groups and all levels of experience.

In addition, the main pool facility also provides a world-class diving facility – the only one of its kind in the region. Designed to deliver the “highest possible finish”, the tower and 3m to 10m platforms were fabricated off-site in pre-cast concrete.

As well as the pools, there is also a high-specification gym and sports hall, as well as a cafe.

The project took just 22 months to complete, helped in part by the pool tanks passing their water tightness tests first time. A bold project for the local area, it is also expected to achieve a ‘Very Good’ BREEAM rating.