The Best of 2025: Education Installs We Loved
Education campuses across the UK continued to raise the bar in 2025, investing in performance environments that prepare students for higher levels of competition while supporting long term athletic development. These installs show how well built spaces and systems that are supportive to athlete growth can create environments where students can thrive.
We’ve highlighted three key themes that defined this year’s standout builds.
Developing Athletic Potential: Marlborough College
Marlborough College unveiled a high-performance gym designed to support its diverse sporting community. Built around the values of ambition, community, and potential, the facility was created to be more than a gym, providing students with the tools, space, and environment to grow as athletes while supporting a wide range of sports. The result is a purposeful, welcoming facility that has also doubled their training capacity.
Key Features
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High capacity layout using back-to-back 1 Series Half Racks with cable integration.
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Fusion Rolled Flooring and Agility Turf create clear zones for lifting, conditioning, and movement. Drop floor areas allow equipment to be safely lifted and dropped, while the astro track enables more athletes to train at once.
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Equipment and Storage Solutions chosen to maximise space and training flow.
Client Insight
“Our experience with BLK BOX has been fantastic. Communication was incredible from planning through to installation and the team on site were quick, efficient, and a pleasure to work with. We chose BLK BOX for their reputation and the quality of their equipment, and they were flexible around our timelines and budget. The gym gets a huge amount of use and it all looks fantastic.”
– Ben Coles, Marlborough College
Rapid Delivery and Dual-Purpose Design: Newcastle University
Newcastle University needed a high-performance strength and conditioning space that could serve both its student athletes and one of its key partners, Newcastle United. The project required a balanced design for two user groups, solutions for challenging layout constraints and industry leading kit for testing and athlete development. Crucially, it also needed to be delivered in just six weeks.
Key Features
The new facility brings together Fusion Flooring, 3 Series Compact Racks with integrated Smith Machines, 3 Series Nexus Full Racks with ISO attachments, Premium Urethane Dumbbells, Basecamp Storage, and a full range of strength and conditioning tools. The result is a versatile, durable environment where university teams train alongside Newcastle United Women, creating an inspiring space that supports performance, progression, and confidence for every athlete who uses it.
Client Insight
“The experience with BLK BOX has been excellent. They delivered exactly what we needed within six weeks, high quality equipment, smart design, and a facility that truly sets us apart.”
– Liam Isaac, Partnership and Development Manager, Newcastle University
Creating Space for Strength and Skill: Merchant Taylors School
Merchant Taylors wanted a training facility that could genuinely improve pupil development, supporting everything from day to day PE to high level sports programmes. The aim was to build a versatile, future ready environment that encouraged confidence, progression and enjoyment, all within a layout that could handle busy school demand.
Key Features
A custom 1 Series Rig with monkey bars and four lifting stations forms the backbone of the strength zone, complete with rack attachments, Seal Row Benches and Adjustable Benches to support a wide range of coaching needs. An Agility Turf lane sits opposite, creating space for sled pushes, speed work and conditioning sessions using Dog Sleds, 3 in 1 Soft Plyo Jump Box and Battle Ropes. Storage and layout were planned to maximise flow, making the space intuitive and adaptable for classes, squads and individual use.
Client Insight
“My experience working with BLK BOX has been fantastic from the start to the end. They really understood what we wanted, stayed flexible through every design change, and delivered custom kit at a speed that honestly surprised us. The pupils love the space and the whole process felt genuinely supported.”
– Merchant Taylors School