Selwyn is one of New Zealand’s fastest-growing districts. To support the growing population, Selwyn District Council set out to create a new indoor sports facility that would serve its people, now and in the future. Apollo was delighted at the opportunity to design and build this stunning 8000m² facility which includes:
- Eight indoor courts – four with a specialised synthetic surface for multi-use and the other four with high-performance sprung timber flooring.
- 240-metre jogging tracks on the mezzanine level.
- Multipurpose rooms with kitchen facilities, spin-bike room, change facilities (both indoor and outdoor) and two premier football rooms.
- NZ’s first Lu Uno interactive playground wall turns the facility into an immersive video game through lights, sounds, and videos.
The timber courts were named after New Zealand Cricketer, administrator, and champion for this project, John F. Reid, who sadly passed away during the centre’s construction.
To meet the client brief and open in time for the winter 2021 sports season, the design was completed in two stages. Stage one included the main courts and stage two included changing rooms and front and back of house offices. This allowed Apollo to construct the main portal frame and 6000m2 of brand-new playing area whilst concurrently working through the design of administration and changing spaces.
Covid-19 presented new challenges for the project team. One of which was that the maple-sprung timber floor was imported from Canada, raising concerns about worldwide shipping issues, though it was successfully managed. Another was the closing of the NZ border, as much of the sports equipment was procured from Australia and had originally planned to be installed by the Australian engineering firm. By upskilling local tradespeople and utilising multiple Zoom calls, the equipment was installed – including that which operates the retractable basketball hoops.
Apollo’s innovation and collaboration led to a fantastic facility, delivered on time and within budget. Its opening weekend saw thousands visiting the centre.
