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Sustainable community centre
A range of passive systems are being incorporated in a £4.2m community centre to produce a zero-carbon development. The Cedars Youth and Community
The library will have five new floors and a rooftop atrium An inspiring partnership
The Inspire Partnership, a joint venture between Amber Infrastructure and Shepherd Construction with architects Austin-Smith:Lord and Cofely as providers of facilities management services, has started work on the £50m renovation of Liverpool Central Library. The 150-year-old library lies within
Liverpool’s UNESCO World Heritage site and the project will include the full restoration of the Grade II listed parts of the building, which date back to 1860. The Hornby Library and Oak Reading Rooms will also be fully open to the public for the
first time when the work completes in two years’ time.
The sections behind the façade, which
were built in the 1950s and 1970s following World War II bomb damage and now suffer from damp and a leaking roof, will be rebuilt to make the most of the available space including a new home for the Liverpool Record Office. Other new features include an entrance to
the main library, a repository with capacity for 20 years of additional storage space, five floors with better access, a conservation studio and a rooftop atrium and terrace.
Exceeding expectations
The £4m Queens Park Leisure Centre has opened in St Helens. Designed by Pozzoni and built by ISG, has a new five lane, 25m pool, with dry and wet changing rooms, a 50-station fitness facility equipped by Life Fitness, a refurbished sports hall and a community meeting room. The under-used squash courts were reconfigured to accommodate a new entrance and extended fitness space.
A mixture of render, brickwork and
substantial areas of glazing to maximise natural levels make up the building’s exterior, while splashes of St Helens Red have been designed into the colour scheme for a local feel. New membership sales have exceeded
expectations with the centre already beating its April 2011 target of 1,000 members with 2,300 members.
Centre is being delivered by a partnership between the London Borough of Harrow and Watford Football Club. Designed by LOM and funded by the MyPlace scheme, the building replaces a small 1960s youth centre in Harrow, north London and will provide a multi-use sports hall, gym, IT suite, art room, recording studio together with a cafe, play equipment for younger children and a multi-use outdoor pitch. The design draws inspiration from the
surrounding context, incorporating a palette of natural materials including green roofs, a slatted timber facade and gabion walls. The aim is to provide a rich yet robust and low maintenance building. The building's sustainable design was
developed by LOM and environmental consultants Battle McCarthy, and incorporates grey water recycling, natural heating via a south facing Solarwall, and photovoltaic panels on the main roof.
The centre replaces the Victorian swimming pool building 10
bflmagazine.co.uk
The design was developed in consultation with locals to address the sensitive nature of the site's parkland setting
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