Construction has begun on a new £2.6m sports science centre at the University of Glamorgan in Pontypridd.

The centre, which has been designed by London-based Holder Mathias Architects, is being built on the existing playing fields at the university and includes a new multi-purpose sports hall with six courts and an ancillary support block.

The centre will also act as a high-tech teaching facility with a monitoring room enabling teaching staff to track strength and conditioning of athletes.

The new facility is the first sports centre in Wales to be awarded a BREEAM (Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method) Excellent rating and has been designed in accordance with Sport England guidelines.

Work on the project is being carried out by Midas Construction and is due to be completed by June 2010. It is hoped that, once complete, the facility will be used by the Welsh Rugby Union and local professional teams from various sporting disciplines.

Alun Woodruff, the University's director of estates, said: "This is another piece of the University's Capital Development jigsaw which will raise the bar in terms of sporting facilities, not just at Glamorgan, but within Wales as a whole.

"Sport is a growing part of our curriculum and I have no doubt that the Glamorgan Sport Park building will inspire our students to achieve great things in the sporting field."