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International Arena at Athlone Institute of Technology
Ireland
Client
Athlone Institute of Technology
Project
OCA Architects
Value
£8.9m
This world-class two and a half storey facility extends to 12343m² and is 17.15 meters in height. The building houses an indoor athletic track & field auditorium, with a 200m banked running track and spectator seating for 1500 people. There is an elevated athlete warm-up area and a separate multi-purpose indoor sports auditorium with spectator seating.
The running track arena is located between two imposing precast stair cores at either end. The stair cores stand at 15m high and give a cost-effective clean finish internally while giving a structural strong anchor at each end. Precast stairs flights and landings are used on all stairs throughout, while precast concrete floors are used to all floors in the building. The use of precast on this project gave the stability to both the client and the contractor to deliver a structurally strong option and inside the tight time constraints and weather experienced in recent years.
The building’s design consists of precast columns and insitu beams supporting hollow-core planks to form the floor area for the arena suspended above the underground car park. Approximately 850 tonnes of structural steel form the frame of the building in both the arena and the outer link and portal areas, with the main steel trusses to the arena spanning a maximum of 56m across the width of the track.
The building also incorporates all accepted passive and sustainable technology, including rainwater harvesting for the toilets and solar panels for hot water as well as a high degree of insulating throughout the arena.