Joe GallopWork is underway to create the new south pavilion entrance to Coventry Building Society (CBS) Arena, home of Wasps Rugby and Coventry City FC, ahead of the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games.
It is the fourth stage in a multi-million-pound project to create the Commonwealth Convention Centre at the venue. The new south pavilion will be the main gateway to the convention centre and provide access to the 7,750sqm of indoor conference and exhibition space at the Arena.
Work already completed includes the renovation of the 6,000sqm Indoor Arena, the aesthetic transformation of the existing 1,750sqm of space beneath the Arena, which is now the convention centre, and the creation and launch of a new sports bar, The Anecdote.
When completed, the pavilion entrance will provide access to the new Convention Centre Lobby, an open plan multi-purpose reception space.
The south pavilion is the centre-piece of the multi-million-pound redevelopment of the venue and will be clearly seen from Jimmy Hill Way.
The Commonwealth Convention Centre is set to open its doors in early 2022 as CBS Arena prepares to host rugby sevens, judo and wrestling at the Commonwealth Games.
The project is funded through the £3.8m granted to the venue by the Coventry and Warwickshire Local Enterprise Partnership (CWLEP), via the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) as part of the Government’s Getting Building Fund.
An additional £1.4m has also been made available to CBS Arena via CWLEP from the Local Growth Fund and Growing Places Fund.
Wasps Group chief executive Stephen Vaughan said, “With the completion of the south pavilion we will be ready for the attention of the world to be focused on Coventry Building Society Arena as part of the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games.”
CWLEP chair Sarah Windrum said, “This type of venue is vital not only during Coventry’s year as UK City of Culture 2021 and the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games but also to secure the long-term future of conferencing in the region.”