IAKS UK event hosted 80 delegates from nine countries

The second day of the event took place at Oriam, Scotland´s Sports Performance Centre. An elite sports facility that helps athletes to strive for the gold medal. Oriam is a word play, alluding to the Gaelic word „or“ for gold. „Gold I am – I am gold“ is Oriam’s claim.

Located on Heriot-Watt University campus, Oriam is the performance base for the Scottish Football Association and Scottish Rugby Union, Scottish Handball, Basketball Scotland, Scottish Volleyball, Scottish Squash and Racketball. It contains the largest indoor 3G pitch hall in Europe, seating for spectators, a games hall, a fitness suite, a high-performance strength and conditioning area with associated treatment area, a hydrotherapy pool, offices, a café, changing facilities and external pitches.

Graham Finnie from Sport Scotland kicked things off with his presentation about the context of Scottish elite sporting facilities. Sport Scotland discovered the need for a national training centre in the Edinburgh area, especially for football, in order to perform better in international competitions. As they were not able to spend millions on just one sport, the idea was born to build a sporting centre tailored to football and rugby but also gives the community an opportunity to train there.

Oriam Executive Director Ross Campbell then provided a comprehensive overview of the facility. 

His main message was: „Programming is key! Rather hit the programming at the start than at the end. As soon as you know what you want to offer and who you want to offer it to, the demands for the building become much clearer.“

To Ross‘ delight, maintenance of the facility in general is demanding, but feasible, thanks to the respectful user’s behaviour.

Jim Grimley of Reiach & Hall Architects explained the design layout. The building is organized along two parallel linear routes – high performance and public – separated by an indoor 3G pitch. A disused Victorian walled garden enclosed by a fine red brick wall is incorporated into the building and forms an edge to the public route which contrasts with the modern facility. Visual accessibility was important to the design team. On their way to the gym, users pass by others playing football or handball – and might get inspired to try other activities as well.

Nathan Wheatley of Engenuiti presented the lean and athletic structure, while Mark Palmer of Max Fordhams shared his opinion that the indoor 3G pitch is a super simple building. The enormous hall is fully naturally ventilated. Mark’s vision of sustainability? „Make it simple, build less, don’t put stuff in the building.“

The 85+ delegates and panellists enjoyed the insightful tour of Oriam and thus were able to explore first-hand what they had heard during the presentations. 

The delegates heard from Ian Cooney and Jim Grimley about other recent Scottish sports facility projects. In only twelve months, Caledonia Gladiators arena came into life, re-using existing warehouses. The design process of the National Center in Inverclyde listened to the needs of 100 wheelchair users for consultation. It was possible to build with generosity, and therefore guests benefit from spacious rooms.

The panel discussion with Ian Cooney, Graham Finnie, Jo Mathieson, Jonny Curley, and Mark Munro was moderated by Tom Pinnington and addressed current and emerging challenges, and future opportunities. Some challenges arise from Scotland’s geography and demography. People from Western Scotland need to travel at least three hours to find appealing infrastructure. Scotland, and Edinburgh in particular, rejoice in historical buildings. But what about installing solar panels on their roofs? Staff shortages cause significant problems for lifeguards, cleaning and catering. With Brexit, young people stopped migrating to Scotland.

Previous business plans do not work any longer. There is an increase in staff costs (more recruiting, more retaining, higher wages), in energy costs and therefore in operation costs in general. With the pandemic and cashless payment, sports centres in some way lost cash payers. Low-income families, or mostly single mothers, could spare a few coins to enable their children to go to the swimming pool. But the step of paying for a swimming course by credit card is less common.

Clients and operators face challenging times ahead due to rising construction and operational costs, which we can only overcome through the power of innovation and collaboration.