A showpiece centre for sport is to be developed at one of the region's universities.

The centre, at the University of Teesside, in Middlesbrough, is expected to be open by September next year and will cost in the region of £6m.

The Olympia Building will be designed to serve both the teaching and research needs of the university in the expanding field of sport and exercise, as well as provide sport and recreational facilities for students and staff.

Unique features will include an exercise physiology research unit, including an environmental chamber and a biomechanics laboratory.

The biomechanics laboratory will include special lighting, mobile force platforms and virtual reality motion capture equipment, to enable the university to study and research movements used in sport and exercise activities.

"This will improve understanding of the techniques used to perform sporting skills, enhance performance and reduce the injury potential of different sporting activities," said Professor Tim Blackman, director of the School of Social Sciences and Law.

Martin Pout, lecturer in exercise physiology, said the facilities will give Teesside "cutting edge resources".

He said: "As well as being used as a thermo-neutral environment to study the physiological response of the human body to temperature changes, it will be an excellent teaching resource to demonstrate the effects of temperature and humidity on exercise and sports performance."

The building will also include a sports hall the size of six badminton courts, able to stage major tournaments and capacity for 500 spectators