Plans approved for £33m Strathclyde University fitness centre
A £33m university fitness centre is set to be built in the centre of Glasgow.
Plans have been approved for Strathclyde University to create the Sport, Health and Wellbeing building in Cathedral Street.
It will include a six-lane swimming pool, a large gym and specialist academic space for teaching and research.
Construction is due to begin in November, with the building expected to open in the summer of 2018.
The new facility will enable the university's sports clubs to train and compete at the highest levels, as well as providing recreation facilities.
New services include:
- A 25m, six-lane swimming pool
- Sauna and steam rooms, along with four physio rooms offering services including physiotherapy, massage and nutrition consultation
- A fitness suite and conditioning room on the same floor and increasing in size by 95%
- Increasing the number of cardiovascular stations from 60 to 100 and doubling the provision of resistance equipment
- Female changing facilities increasing in size by 149% - and male facilities by 97%
- Increasing the number of venues for exercise classes from three to seven
Prof Sir Jim McDonald, university principal, said: "At Strathclyde, our students and staff are at the heart of everything we do. Together, we are creating a first-class facility that will provide health and wellbeing benefits for the university community, as well as improving participation in sport more generally.
"This new facility is the latest part of our campus transformation, helping us to continue to attract and retain the very best local and global talent. We are delighted Glasgow City Council has supported our plans, and we look forward to opening this exciting new building."
The Sport, Health and Wellbeing facility and a new teaching building - which is in the planning stage - are the latest in a series of new facilities being created at Strathclyde, bringing the university's investment in its campus to more than £600m this decade.
It follows the opening of the university's £89m Technology and Innovation Centre by the Queen last year.