The Institute of Technology Carlow opened their new €15-million South Sports Campus, a world-class outdoor multi-discipline training facility, which includes 6 new LED floodlit playing pitches, 1.6km looped walking trail, 400m athletics track and a pavilion building. The development includes an ultra-modern 660-seater viewing stadium, and a 250-seater viewing stand. The facility also houses state-of-the art changing facilities, sauna, steam rooms, physiotherapy units and a series of inter-connecting seminar/hospitality suites, which afford panoramic views of the action on the pitches.
Tony Patterson Sports Grounds were chosen to core-model and develop the 31-acre site for Phase 1 (all works apart from the Pavilion Building).
· 2no (130mx80m) elite level natural rugby pitches.
· 2no (110m x 70m) elite level natural soccer pitches.
· 1no (150m x 85) elite level natural GAA pitch.
· 1no (150m x 85) multi use all weather synthetic pitch certified for GAA, World Rugby and FIFA.
· 1no cricket wicket and outfield.
· 1no IAAF class2 400m running track and ancillaries.
· 1no 1.6km looped walking/jogging trail.
· All the above fully floodlit –26 floodlight columns and 103 street light columns.
· Woodland tree planting and landscaping.
Once completed the site was sympathetically landscaped. 9,750 square meters of indigenous woodland planting included 21,908 plants and 224 trees. Natural surface soil profiling reduced the requirement for additional fertilisers. Rainwater harvesting was used to water thet rees by TPS during period of drought after planting.
· The installation of a 275,000litre underground concrete irrigation tank with a self-contained borehole (to a depth of 100m) water supply, and emergency storm drainage overflow system.
· Sustainable urban 3.3M litre drainage tanks were designed and constructed to withstand 1 in 100-year storm events.
· An automatic fully sustainable irrigation system, covering 50,000m2 of playing surfaces, requiring 120 sprinkler heads and 3,000m of irrigation pipework.
· A 185 space car-park with sustainable urban drainage including multiple petrol interceptors to prevent groundwater contamination.
· A second overflow carpark with a further 100 spaces was built with the same exacting drainage standards.
· A road network constructed through the site, including traffic modelling, sloping and gradients was designed to be fully accessible by all.
· Site modelling included shaping berms to create screening and noise attenuation while 820m of acoustic fencing and ten 15m high by 30m wide, ball-stop fences were also installed.
Every time you train, you need to push harder than you did the day before. Your pitch should push back. Take 5 and join us for a coffee and FREE Consultation. Chat to one of our sports engineers and discover what opportunities are available for you and your team. Transform your pitch and provide your athletes with a playing surface which is always up to the test.
