Last month the capital was hit with torrential downpours and flash flooding causing disruption across the city. Unfortunately, Oriam and several other buildings on the Campus fell victim to the flooding. For safety of our users, the decision was made to close the facility early on Monday 24th June.
During the time of the down pours there were three main areas of the building that the rain breached and within a very short space of time the facility began to flood. The Oriam team worked around the clock to maintain the flooding and stop any water spreading. With the hard work of all staff it allowed Oriam to open its doors the following day, as expected areas of the building were closed down while an inspection was conducted to find out the extent of the damage.
By the end of the week, it became apparent that the damage was worse than first feared; all squash courts, studio 1 and sports hall 2 has significant water damage under the Junkers flooring which was agreed would require complete replacement. The Strength & Conditioning Gym was also badly damaged in all 3 rooms with waters levels reaching 2.5 foot in these spaces. All of the affected areas have been completely disinfected and inspected to agree repair work. Carpet tiles have been removed to allow the flooring to dry and we are working with our Insurers to get a programme of works agreed as quickly as possible.
At present, all Squash courts, Studio1 and Sports Hall 2 plus the Strength and Conditioning Gym remain closed until further notice. The last area requiring inspection is the equipment in the Strength and Conditioning gym, we have several companies coming in to see this area week commencing 8th July.
We have given instruction to the agreed contractor to commence work in the Squash Courts, Studio 1 and Sports Hall 2 to dry the area and then lay new flooring. This is expected to take several weeks but we will have a firm programme within the next 5 days.
The impact of these areas closing has been challenging and we understand the frustration of our users, but Oriam have worked extremely hard to minimise the disruption were possible. Our Group Exercise Coordinator, Mandy Stott has worked tirelessly to accommodate as many group exercise classes as possible during July and August with only 5 classes cancelled per week.
Again we would like to thank you for your patience and support during this period. If you have any queries in the meantime please contact hello@oriam.hw.ac.uk