National Sports Centre reopens with extra light

The National Sports Centre in the Isle of Man is a well visited place with some fantastic sports facilities.

Last year both its competition and its leisure pools were closed to allow a £4.2m refurbishment project to commence, which saw a range of Xtralite products bring natural light into the building.

“This is such a highly used venue that it was necessary to ensure high specification rooflights were incorporated into the project to give better light, sound and thermal properties,” said Jim Lowther sales director Xtralite.

“The flexibility of our X-Span range meant that all the criteria were met with ease, creating a finished product that delivered all the practicalities whilst being visually appealing to pool occupants and spectators below.”

The 50m competition pool has benefitted from the additional natural light that the X-Span rooflights has delivered. Situated above the pool and replacing existing rooflights which had deteriorated over time, the six Xtralite X-Span thermally enhanced non self-supporting mono pitch rooflights were specified measuring 16.4m x 2.25m all of which allowed natural light to filter through, whilst creating an impressive roofline whereby the rooflights undulated down the angled roof, keeping its wave like appearance.

Bringing the latest glazing technology to the sports centre, the building and its users will undoubtedly benefit from the additional natural light which has been proven to improve wellbeing and performance.

The 25mm enhanced UV protect Lumira technology glazing was specified which is known for enhanced thermal performance, improve light transmission and better acoustics.

“This particular project benefitted from the diffused light offered from polycarbonate whilst also bringing other benefits that the building demanded,” said Jim. “Additionally, it is impact resistant and has excellent insulating qualities, perfect for keeping the building users warm and draft free when using the facilities.”

X-Span complies with BS6399 system Part 1 (Code of Practice for dead and imposed loads), Part 2 (Code of Practice for wind loads) and Part 3 (Code of Practice for imposed/snow loads) delivering a premium solution of aesthetics and practicality.