The Pods
Encyclopedia
The Pods is a leisure centre in Scunthorpe
. It is currently in its final stages of construction before its opening, estimated to be during Summer 2011. The leisure centre will offer a wide range of modern facilities, including two swimming pool
s, a state of the art gym
, a dance studio, a café
and a crèche
. Knackers! The leisure center is located in the town’s Central Park
near Ashby Road. An accidental explosion in which several contractors working on the site were injured took place on the 17th of June 2011.
and The National Lottery.
The Pods is reported to be built the highest environmental standards and is aiming for a ‘excellent' BREAAM environmental rating. It will have grey water recycling
, a bio-mass boiler, and the roof is part covered from the natural sedum
plant. Hexagonal panels and pains of glass have been used to create the buildings dome shaped roofs, which is of a similar style to Cornwall’s Eden Project
. North Lincolnshire have said there is to be a large pond and car park built next to the leisure centre.
.
The park and children’s play areas around The Pods have also been refurbished in a two million pound restoration. As of January 2011, most of this work to the park is complete.
Scunthorpe
Scunthorpe is a town within North Lincolnshire, England. It is the administrative centre of the North Lincolnshire unitary authority, and had an estimated total resident population of 72,514 in 2010. A predominantly industrial town, Scunthorpe, the United Kingdom's largest steel processing centre,...
. It is currently in its final stages of construction before its opening, estimated to be during Summer 2011. The leisure centre will offer a wide range of modern facilities, including two swimming pool
Swimming pool
A swimming pool, swimming bath, wading pool, or simply a pool, is a container filled with water intended for swimming or water-based recreation. There are many standard sizes; the largest is the Olympic-size swimming pool...
s, a state of the art gym
Gym
The word γυμνάσιον was used in Ancient Greece, that mean a locality for both physical and intellectual education of young men...
, a dance studio, a café
Café
A café , also spelled cafe, in most countries refers to an establishment which focuses on serving coffee, like an American coffeehouse. In the United States, it may refer to an informal restaurant, offering a range of hot meals and made-to-order sandwiches...
and a crèche
Crèche
Crèche may refer to:*Day care center, an organization of adults who take care of children in place of their parents*Nativity scene, a group of figures arranged to represent the birth of Jesus Christ...
. Knackers! The leisure center is located in the town’s Central Park
Park
A park is a protected area, in its natural or semi-natural state, or planted, and set aside for human recreation and enjoyment, or for the protection of wildlife or natural habitats. It may consist of rocks, soil, water, flora and fauna and grass areas. Many parks are legally protected by...
near Ashby Road. An accidental explosion in which several contractors working on the site were injured took place on the 17th of June 2011.
Construction, funding and opening
Bowmer an Kirkland won the building contract and started the construction in October 2009, and as mentioned above; it is expected to be completed by Spring/Summer 2011. Plans to build the leisure centre were confirmed over two years before the actual start date of construction, but were delayed due to financial issues. Other than the Council, the project has received funding from Sport EnglandSport England
Sport England is the brand name for the English Sports Council and is a non-departmental public body under the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...
and The National Lottery.
The Pods is reported to be built the highest environmental standards and is aiming for a ‘excellent' BREAAM environmental rating. It will have grey water recycling
Recycling
Recycling is processing used materials into new products to prevent waste of potentially useful materials, reduce the consumption of fresh raw materials, reduce energy usage, reduce air pollution and water pollution by reducing the need for "conventional" waste disposal, and lower greenhouse...
, a bio-mass boiler, and the roof is part covered from the natural sedum
Sedum
Sedum is a large genus of flowering plants in the family Crassulaceae, members of which are commonly known as stonecrops. It contains around 400 species of leaf succulents that are found throughout the Northern Hemisphere, varying from annual and creeping herbs to shrubs. The plants have...
plant. Hexagonal panels and pains of glass have been used to create the buildings dome shaped roofs, which is of a similar style to Cornwall’s Eden Project
Eden Project
The Eden Project is a visitor attraction in Cornwall in the United Kingdom, including the world's largest greenhouse. Inside the artificial biomes are plants that are collected from all around the world....
. North Lincolnshire have said there is to be a large pond and car park built next to the leisure centre.
Other ongoing projects to the surrounding area
The construction of the leisure centre comes with a large wave of other improvements to Scunthorpe. The town's Baths Hall on Doncaster Road is currently undergoing a multimillion pound restoration project which will make the building capable of holding professional concerts and conferences. The style of the new venue will be similar to Grimsby AuditoriumGrimsby Auditorium
Grimsby Auditorium is a theatre situated on Cromwell Road, in Grimsby, North East Lincolnshire. With a seated audience capacity of 1,200 the Grimsby Auditorium is the largest professional theatre in Lincolnshire, and one of the larger theatres in the East of England...
.
The park and children’s play areas around The Pods have also been refurbished in a two million pound restoration. As of January 2011, most of this work to the park is complete.