LSH was appointed by Kingswood Learning & Leisure Group (Kingswood) to oversee the design and modular construction of the block at the former Earth Centre site, near Doncaster, which will increase capacity to accommodate up to 400 young people.

Phased development

The outdoor educational activity centre was acquired by Kingswood from Doncaster Council in 2010. Phase One of the development consisted of a £6m project of alterations and refurbishment works to the previous Earth Centre buildings and the construction of five accommodation blocks.

Construction

Modular construction has enabled the majority of the new building to be fabricated off-site allowing shorter completion time on site, minimising disruption and preliminary cost for the client. Siberian larch cladding makes the building sensitive to its natural environment and it is connected to sustainable waste water treatment facility. The modular units were designed and built by Elliott UK.

Comment

Jon Anderson, Director at Lambert Smith Hampton’s Leeds office, said: “It has been an ongoing and very positive relationship with Kingswood, as we have been involved with the purchase of the site as well as the later build stages to this excellent facility for young peoples’ learning and activity.”

“This project is the latest in a number of exciting developments with Kingswood. We are working with them on all of their UK-based activity centres and assisting with potential acquisitions of new centres in key locations throughout the UK.”

Darren Pallett, Head of Property at Kingswood Learning & Leisure, said: “The team at LSH has completed some excellent work for us at Dearne Valley and across the rest of our UK centres. The addition of the new accommodation block means that we can now welcome more young people from across the UK and Europe to enjoy all the activities and facilities our centre has to offer.”