Steel up for Olympic-level climbing centre

Structural steelwork erection has been completed for an Olympic-level climbing centre in Oldham, being built by The Stoller Charitable Trust.

Rock climbing is one of the world’s fastest growing sports and it will debut at the next Olympic Games. The centre aims to satisfy this latest sporting craze and expects to attract up to 90,000 visitors a year.

The steel-framed 1,850m² centre in Oldham is being constructed on a sloping site and its design has incorporated the gradient to form a structure with three levels.

As well as the entrance, the upper ground level will accommodate bouldering, a soft play area, two ‘ValoClimb’ walls that use interactive gaming technology, together with changing rooms and a café overlooking the activity zones. The clip ‘n’ climb, which will be the tallest and biggest in the North of England, featuring 35 challenges, is located on the mid-level mezzanine, while the main climbing walls – used for speed climbing and lead climbing – are on the lower ground level taking advantage of the structure’s full 18m height.

Leach Structural Steelwork has erected 170t of structural steelwork for the project, which is due to open in August.