Mountbatten Leisure Centre, Portsmouth

Home > Commercial > Mountbatten Leisure Centre, Portsmouth

Client: Etec Group

Sector: Leisure

Scope: SFS | Drylining | Shaft Walls | Wall Linings | MF Ceilings | Suspended Ceilings | Insulation | Fire Stopping | Tape & Joint | Plastering | Glazing | Cladding | Acoustic Treatment | Decorating

Location: Mountbatten Centre, Alexandra Park, Twyford Avenue, Portsmouth, PO2 9QA

Programme: January 2025 to February 2026

Project overview

The refurbishment of the Mountbatten Leisure Centre was part of a £6.6 million investment by Portsmouth City Council to replace the ageing roof structure and upgrade key building systems, securing the long-term future of the facility.

The works were delivered in carefully managed phases so the centre could stay open and keep providing health, wellbeing and community services. The café, function rooms and soft play were refurbished and reopened, with further upgrades to activity spaces including the squash courts and Clip ‘n Climb.

GA Interiors was appointed by Etec Group for the drylining, suspended ceilings and SFS package, starting in January 2025 and completing in February 2026, in line with the programme.

Our scope

GA Interiors delivered the following:

• MF ceilings and bulkheads, and dot and dab wall linings to office areas, all with a tape and joint finish
• Zentia lay-in grid ceilings with Prestige Tegular 24 tiles (600 x 600) across the café, soft play, corridors, offices, function rooms, escape stairs, cycle studio, squash court and Clip ‘n Climb studio
• Zentia lay-in grid ceilings with Hydrabloc tiles (600 x 600) to wet areas, including kitchens and WCs
• Shaftwall systems around the sports hall, with Rockwool ablative batts to all service penetrations
• SFS mirroring the Shaftwall in Klasse 12.5mm A1 gypsum G-board, with 240mm Rockwool Flexi insulation between the two
• External SFS in Klasse 12.5mm A1 gypsum G-board with perimeter support rails, and 100mm soffit slab to external soffits

Challenges and solutions

• Live leisure centre: careful planning and phasing kept key areas open to the public, with safe access maintained to the gym, swimming pool and athletics areas throughout.
• Different environments: systems were selected for each area, with moisture-resistant ceilings in wet areas and fire-rated and acoustic systems around the sports hall.
• Shaftwall and SFS interface: precise detailing was needed around service penetrations, where Rockwool ablative batts were installed to meet fire safety requirements without holding up progress.
• External sequencing: the external SFS framing and top hats were installed in sequence with follow-on trades so the cladding package could be completed without delay.

Outcome

GA Interiors completed the package in February 2026, in line with the programme, while the leisure centre stayed open to the local community.