Scotland’s first Passivhaus project opens its doors

The new £36 million Blairgowrie Recreation Centre has officially opened its doors to the public.

The new “ultra-low energy” centre features a 25m swimming pool with moveable floor, a four-court sports hall, a health club with a large gym floor, dance studio and an external 3G sports pitch.

Designed by architects Holmes Miller, the facility is the first leisure development in Scotland to be built to Passivhaus standards. It replaces Blairgowrie’s original 1980s facility and is only the second Passivhaus leisure centre in the UK – the other being St Sidwell’s Point in Exeter, Devon.

Funded by Perth and Kinross Council – which owns the building – the project was delivered through Hub East Central Scotland and built by BAM Construction. The facility will be operated by Live Active Leisure on behalf of the council.

Perth and Kinross Council leader Councillor Grant Laing said: “This is a really important day for the people of Blairgowrie and across Eastern Perthshire.

“Plans for the centre were first put forward years ago but the green light for the project was only given in 2022 when the Council agreed to fund this £36 million project. It has been a long road to get to this point but I am sure this will be a much-loved and well-used facility.”

Fully constructed from Cross Laminated Timber (CLT) and Glulam, the low-carbon building will reduce energy consumption by up to 80% compared to a typical leisure centre.

Holmes Miller estimates that the building will boast the lowest operational energy use of any Passivhaus-certified leisure or sports centre in the UK.