Velodrome amid wildflower meadows in Dublin!

Article posted by Coliseum, January 26^th, 2023

Image: FaulknerBrowns

The international design studio FaulknerBrowns Architects plans for a National Velodrome and Badminton Centre on the Sport Ireland campus in Dublin (Ireland) have been granted planning approval.

‘FAULKNERBROWNS ARCHITECTS’ stated that the project will provide the first indoor velodrome track in Ireland and is part of the wider campus masterplan launched by the Government of Ireland in 2022. With both athlete and community facilities, the center will aim to encourage participation in sport and promote the benefits of cycling to the wider community.

Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear (UK)-based FaulknerBrowns Architects is a creative, international design studio experienced in making buildings and places where people do better. The design practice use this experience to question traditional typologies, challenging what a particular building might look like, how it might be used and the ways it can impact society.

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Sport Ireland, formerly the Irish Sports Council, is a statutory authority that oversees, and partly funds, the development of sport within Ireland. It is located at the National Sports Campus in the townland of Sheephill near Abbotstown House in Dublin.

‘FAULKNERBROWNS ARCHITECTS’ further stated that the National Velodrome and Badminton Centre will include a 250m cycle track, with 12 badminton courts within the infield and around 1,000 permanent seats for spectators. Other spaces, including the entrance and café, changing rooms, offices, training facilities, and the bicycle hire/stores, will sit under the track at the ground level.

The velodrome will serve as a permanent home for Cycling Ireland and Badminton Ireland, a landmark venue for national and international events. The building will also be multifunctional, with 2,500 temporary seats to accommodate non-sporting events and activities.

Cycling Ireland or CI is the operating name of the national governing body of the sport of cycling in the island of Ireland. Formally the body is a charitable company limited by guarantee, the Irish Cycling Federation. CI is a member of the UCI and the UEC, often called the European Cycling Union.

Badminton Ireland, formally the Badminton Union of Ireland, is the national governing body for the sport of badminton in Ireland and Northern Ireland. As of January 2019, there are more than 16,000 registered players.

FaulknerBrowns Architects design proposals feature light colored, concave metal cladding surrounding the arena level in a continuous ribbon reminiscent of cycling components. Improvements to the landscape surrounding the center and within the campus have also been approved, including a new pedestrian and cycle route into the site, planting new trees and wildflower meadows and creating sustainable urban drainage features.

Stated Una May, Sport Ireland CEO, “News of the velodrome’s approval comes as a really exciting start to 2023. The National Velodrome and Badminton Centre plans are an important next step in the scheme of things of Sport Ireland. It will be a place for the community and the elite athletes to come together, sharing facilities at a new destination for Sport in Ireland.”

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