Aberdeen Aquatics Centre has started to rise out of the ground as the steel frame is put in place by main contractor GRAHAM Construction.
The latest addition to Aberdeen Sports Village, which is being developed at King Street, is on track for the scheduled early 2014 opening. The centre will include a 10 lane competition standard 50 metre pool and a 25 metre pool complete with full international standard diving facilities.
Alongside the on-going steelwork, Graham Construction is laying precast flooring to create the first floor of the building and beginning to fit the external cladding around the completed sections of the steel frame.
Dave Newton, site manager for Graham Construction, said: “This is the stage where the building really starts to take shape and you can properly appreciate the size and scale of the facility.
“The outer structure of the main competition pool and plant room is now in place and efforts will be concentrated on the 25 metre pool and changing rooms in the coming weeks.”
“When the initial layer of external cladding is in place, an outer layer will be installed to give the building a signature look, a matt black finish for the main competition pool and changing area and aluminium shingle for the diving pool.”
The 500 tonne steel frame has been prepared by local steel company RIM Fabrications Ltd.
The main focus over the coming months is to complete the cladding and install the windows and roof in order to make the facility wind and water-tight before the internal fit-out begins.
David Beattie, chief executive at Aberdeen Sports Village, said: “Establishing the steel frame for the facility is a major development in the building phase as the centre starts to take shape. With creation of the structure under way, we are now at a stage where the Aquatics Centre will begin to have a visual impact in the community.
“There is a lot of anticipation about the centre opening, as it will be a hub of activity for the people of Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire. To ensure the centre meets the needs of the whole community we have plans for public, senior and family sessions, exercise classes, swimming lessons and swimming sessions for local primary schools. The facility will also be used by elite athletes due to the world-class facilities we have planned.”
The Aquatics Centre is a joint project between the University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen City Council and sportscotland.
Aberdeen City Council's vice-convener of education, culture and sport committee councillor Ross Thomson, said: "This is a very exciting time in the building of the Aquatics Centre. Anyone who has been past the site recently or follows the works via the web can't help but be impressed as the building of the Aquatics Centre unfolds."
Michael Hodgson, a development executive at the University of Aberdeen, is leading a fundraising drive which has already secured an anonymous donation of £1million and £100,000 from First Group. He said: “The funding in place from our the three partners will deliver an outstanding facility, but we are also looking to the private sector to support some of the ‘added extras’ which would make this one of the best aquatics centres in Europe.
“We hope to factor into the construction process fixed under and above water cameras which will provide invaluable and seamless playback of technique from the moment a swimmer leaves the blocks. No other facility in the UK is equipped with such a system.
“The opportunity exists to create an aquatics centre with facilities for the North East and Scotland to be proud of and we hope that the North East business community will get behind this initiative and support the extras that will make this a truly inspirational facility.”
ASV recently announced that since opening in August 2009, it has welcomed over 1.74million users through its doors and has increased its visitor numbers by over 30% in three years.