Dollar Academy

Facilities development project, hockey pitches

Dollar Academy approached Sports Labs in 2005 to assist the school in their development programme, this included significant building work as well as the construction of a synthetic hockey pitch.

This project was multi-levelled and consisted of a significant design team, working together to take the development through a very difficult and uncompromising planning process.

Design and communication was key in these first few years to ensure that whilst the statutory authorities were satisfied, the school never compromised on the quality and specification of the facility, which had to be used for both hockey and tennis.

The planning consent was secured and the procurement process commenced. We adopted a traditional approach to tendering and the eventual winner was Hunter Construction, who used a high end Tiger Turf Evolution surface for the hockey field.

Beneath this carpet we had designed a Stifler shockpad that allowed tennis to be played successfully, without compromising the hockey performance. The project was completed in 2009 and remains one of Sports Labs' most significant success stories.