Richard Dunn Sports Centre - Bradford

The Richard Dunn Sports Centre in Bradford, locally known as the Richard Dunn Centre is a striking 1970s brutalist landmark in Odsal, West Yorkshire, named in honour of hometown boxing hero Richard Dunn. Designed by Trevor Skempton and constructed between 1974 and 1978, its iconic 40 m-high tent-style, cable-stayed roof was one of the earliest uses of computer aided design in the UK. 

The centre originally featured a leisure pool, sports halls, squash courts, climbing wall, gym and event spaces, and served the local community until closure in late 2019 due to rising operational costs. Following its decommissioning, the building was temporarily repurposed as a COVID pandemic backup mortuary and, in April 2022, saved from demolition by Grade II-listing thanks to a campaign led by the Twentieth Century Society. 

Recent redevelopment proposals backed by Skateboard GB and cultural organisations would transform “The Dunn” into the UK’s first permanent Olympic standard skateboarding and action-sports centre under its existing iconic roof although nothing has come into fruition yet. It was most recently used as a filming location for 28 Years Later, the third installment in Danny Boyle's zombie series.