Athletics DesignDesign GuidanceGuidance Note Note Updated guidance inside March Revision 002 © Sport England 2008 Athletics Design Guidance Note Contents 1 Introduction 2 2 Provision for Athletes with a Disability 2 3 Hierarchy of Provision 3 4 Local Training Facilities 5 5 Sports Hall Athletics 13 6 Indoor Facilities 14 7 Ancillary Accommodation 17 8 Layout Guides 22 9 Additional Guidance on Areas Indoor Field Events 31 10 Athletics Tracks and Areas for Field Events 33 11 Floodlighting 38 12 Management 39 13 Sustainable Development 42 14 Further Reading 42 15 Contact Addresses 43 March Revision 002 1 © Sport England 2008 Athletics Design Guidance Note 1 Introduction 2 Provision for Athletes with a Disability This guidance note has been compiled with The Great Britain Paralympic Athletics Team reference to and in accordance with the National is one of the most successful in the world. The Athletics Facilities Strategy 2007-2012 (the continued international success of our athletes Strategy). With the support of Sport England, the with disabilities has significantly raised awareness of Strategy was commissioned by the sport’s two and demand for fully accessible facilities. governing bodies – England Athletics, and UK All sports facilities must be fully accessible to Athletics (formerly the British Athletics people who have a disability, and this means Federation). The Strategy sets out the more than just being able to get through requirements for athletics facilities throughout the front door and use the toilet facilities. England, with the exception of international Accessibility means that everyone can make full outdoor competition stadia. use of the facility as a participant, spectator or The guidance is aimed at those who may be member of staff. considering the provision and design of an Achieving this may not mean more costly athletics facility. While not exhaustive, it is solutions. If integrated into the design and a comprehensive briefing document designed development process, the requirement for full to prompt the right questions and to inform access can be achieved easily and the result will the decisions that formulate the project and be a better facility for everyone. design briefs. Provisions should reflect the strategy and hierarchy in Specialist professional consultants should be Sections 2 and 4 and so it is important that appointed at an early stage of project development to designers consult with UK Athletics Regional provide the necessary level of expertise on the Facilities Managers at an early stage to establish the design, management and maintenance of relevant criteria. athletics facilities. Before considering the provision of a new Access and Participation For All facility to host athletics competitions, train elite All sports facilities must be designed to allow athletes or encourage and develop talent in everyone to participate, and access and athletics it is vital that you contact the governing participation audits are an essential part of the bodies of the sport: • UK Athletics • England Athletics The England strategy was updated in 2002 to embrace the whole of the UK. This is currently being reviewed and a new strategy, to cover the period up to, and including the London Olympic Games of 2012, will become operational in January 2007. March Revision 002 2 © Sport England 2008 Athletics Design Guidance Note design process. Decisions made by the design 3 Hierarchy of Provision team, client and users will fundamentally affect the accessibility of the building. Effective and The Strategy refers to a hierarchy of provision for carefully considered management of the competition and training purposes for indoor and facilities is essential to allow access and outdoor facilities. participation for everyone. At the top of the hierarchy is the English The design and management audit of athletics Institute of Sport supported by a network of facilities should be split into two sections: national High Performance Centres. Designing for Accessibility Specialist indoor training centres and outdoor General accessibility guidance is widely synthetic tracks will address regional and available and covers many aspects of building county needs. Local needs will be met by design including car parking, routes to and multi-use sports halls (with a suitable surface for around the building, ramps and steps, entrances and athletics) and outdoor training facilities including a reception areas, door widths, circulation spaces, sprints straight and bend, pole vault run-ups, floor/wall surface colour and texture, lifts, toilet high jump beds, long and triple jump runways provision, counters, signage, telephones, alarms, and sandpits and throwing areas. lighting and acoustics. Competition Venues For further information on providing people with disabilities The Strategy recommends that three indoor with full access to sports facilities, refer to Sport England 200m tracks with spectator seating for 500–1,000 Design Guidance Note Access for Disabled People. people be built in England, preferably at national High http://www.sportengland.org/disabled.pdf Performance Centres. Designing for Participation The Strategy suggests that there is no overall shortage of outdoor competition venues at any Many aspects of designing for access will level in the competition structure. However, to facilitate participation. Simple analysis of the ensure nationwide coverage some new tracks likely patterns of use and routes around the facility, may be required in specific areas. from arrival to participation and then departure, will highlight potential difficulties that can easily be designed out. The range of disabilities, coupled with the variety of athletics disciplines, makes it difficult to provide definitive guidance for all eventualities. It is therefore essential to consult the UK Athletics Facilities Manager throughout the design process and ensure that the views of end users, athletes and their coaches are considered. Designated areas should be provided where technicians, competitors and coaches can maintain and repair sports chairs, other mechanical sports aids, equipment, prostheses and so on. For changing, showers and toilet provision refer to section 7. March Revision 002 3 © Sport England 2008 Athletics Design Guidance Note Athletics Centres • 58m runway and pit These centres are designed to meet the needs of • 45m pole vault runway with appropriate height elite performers as well as being focal points for the (which could be combined with) sport in the region in which they are located: • high jump area and 25 x 18m approach Bath University, Birmingham, Gateshead, Brunel • throwing circle for shot with 25 x 15m University, Lee Valley Regional Park Crystal Palace, throwing area Loughborough University, Manchester and • throwing cage for discus Sheffield. • weights and conditioning room with direct Regional/Local Specialist Indoor Training access to training hall Centres • photo finish and timing equipment. The Strategy’s criteria are: Layouts for indoor facilities can be found in • There should be 545,000 people living within section 10. 30 minutes’ travel time (45 minutes for rural Wherever possible, indoor training provision locations). should be developed adjacent to new or existing • The centre should be integrated into a new or outdoor facilities. existing sports complex. Endurance Training Centres • The centre should be close to an outdoor track. The National Endurance Centre is located at St • Large and successful athletics clubs and Mary’s University College at Strawberry Hill in World Class programme-standard coaches Middlesex. Others may follow. should be located within the catchment area. Outdoor Training Facilities • There should be a sports performance centre At outdoor facilities 400m synthetic tracks are within the catchment. used for both training and competition. • The centre should be staffed and promoted in The Strategy also refers to 'outdoor training a professional way with an athletics facilities' and states that 'in less populated areas, development manager. At least 18 hours per where an outdoor synthetic 400m track cannot week should be allocated to indoor athletics. be justified, every encouragement will be given to The outline schedule of accommodation and lower key training facilities.’ This may include facilities for a local indoor centre is as follows: 300m tracks as well as straight and training • 60m/6-lane straight (82m overall) tracks. Design issues are explored in section 10. March Revision 002 4 © Sport England 2008 Athletics Design Guidance Note together with a realistic analysis of their potential use 4 Local Training Facilities as athletics training facilities. This section focuses on some of the issues that Having established the sporting need and require detailed consideration when determining the identified what facilities already exist, the next project brief for local training facilities. stage is to consider the mix of facilities necessary to deliver the required sporting outputs. Athletics is unique in that it encompasses many different disciplines. This means that training Defining The Scope And Scale Of Facilities provision for individual disciplines has often, by When considering the mix of facilities there are necessity, been developed in an innovative way, some important issues to take into account: adapting whatever facilities exist to meet the needs of local athletes. Similarly, the needs of a whole club and • Access to existing changing facilities or the the disciplines within it can