Leeds Beckett University's new £45m Carnegie School of Sport building in Headingley is step closer to opening

Leeds Beckett University's new flagship £45m Carnegie School of Sport building has moved  a step close to opening at its Headingley Campus.
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Builders have handed the state-of-the-art teaching and research building a over to the university

It will be a base for the Carnegie School of Sport’s undergraduate, postgraduate and research programmes and will provide a hub for the elite athletes who use the university’s sports performance expertise.

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The university has released a time lapse video of the 20-month long construction project.

The new building includes a a covered rooftop 60m sprint track for performance training and analysis, dedicated research laboratories and a health and wellbeing studio.

The 90,000 sq ft centre, which can cater for more than 1,600 students, includes five lecture theatres and around 40 research and teaching laboratories.

The building will also house two world class environmental chambers, which can mimic different altitudes and environments.

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The chambers are capable of achieving temperatures of between -30 Degree C to +50 degrees C, extreme humidity and altitudes up to 8,000 metres.

The Carneige School of Sport building at Leeds Beckett University's Headingley campus.
Photo: John KeesThe Carneige School of Sport building at Leeds Beckett University's Headingley campus.
Photo: John Kees
The Carneige School of Sport building at Leeds Beckett University's Headingley campus. Photo: John Kees

The chambers will support the university’s ongoing research with the Centre for Human Performance, which focuses on performance in extreme environments, supporting the military and sporting partners.

After the handover from architects Sheppard Robson and construction group Galliford Try, experts from the university’s IT Services and Estates teams will complete the fit-out ahead of opening the building to students and staff.

Peter Mackreth, Dean of the Carnegie School of Sport, said: “Carnegie School of Sport is the UK’s biggest school of its type and this outstanding facility will enable our staff and students to continue to shape the future of sport, changing lives for the better by helping to improve practice, policy and performance."

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Cliff Wheatley, Managing Director, Building North East and Yorkshire at Galliford Try, said: “We are proud to have delivered the Carnegie School of Sport project for the staff and students of Leeds Beckett University."

Leeds Beckett University has been ranked in the world’s top 100 universities for sport-related subjects by the QS World University Rankings earlier this year.

It also holds a prestigious position in the top ten most successful UK universities for widening participation and ensuring higher education is accessible to people from all backgrounds.

The Carnegie School of Sport is well-known for its sporting excellence and was founded in 1933 as the prestigious Carnegie College of Physical Training.

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Notable sporting alumni from the university include Leeds Rhinos legends Kevin Sinfield and Jamie Jones-Buchanan; double Paralympic gold-winning athlete, Kadeena Cox MBE; former GB hockey player Sam Quek MBE; Women’s FA Cup footballer, Lucy Bronze; and former England rugby union head coach, Stuart Lancaster.

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