Wates Construction has commenced the structural steelwork at the £73 million Sandwell Aquatics Centre in Smethwick.

The first three roof trusses and main frame have now been erected, giving scale to the site and its facilities within. By the end of the year, 14 trusses will have been installed in total, each spanning 75m and weighing around 30 tonnes.

It marks the first stage of the centre taking form above-ground, with the Wates team spending the summer months carefully creating the 50m Olympic-sized pool as well as a 25m diving pool and community swimming pool. Some 3,000m3 of concrete were used in the pools' creation, which had to be carefully poured to an accuracy of mere millimetres to comply with Olympic standards.

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With procurement being accelerated and performance managed through Scape this state-of-the-art facility will create a lasting legacy for community health and wellbeing, with its three pools and seats for up to 1,000 spectators.

Other facilities at the aquatics centre will include three activity studios, two 4-court sports halls, a 108-station fitness suite with a 25-station ladies-only gym, dry diving facilities, an indoor cycling studio, a new football pitch, a café, and changing facilities including a sauna and steam room. Externally, a new urban park will feature a children’s play area.

With the frame in place, the team will now start work creating the walls and roof of the building, as well as completing the installation of the 10m dive tower before Christmas.

Construction started on site in September 2019, with Wates working closely with Sandwell Council and its supply chain to ensure work continued safely on site during the national lockdown earlier this year. The contractor collaborated with all delivery partners to ensure new health and safety measures and social distancing guidelines were put in place quickly, meaning the project is still on schedule.

The project is set to complete in spring 2022 and will open to the public in the spring of 2023.