27
BUILDING PROJECTS
‘Our main concern was to transform the changing facilities to reflect the social and ethnic diversity and the varying levels of modesty, privacy and segregation of the sexes required’ – Roy Caddick, lead designer
© David Mackenzie
over the pool and the changing and corridor areas. The recent scheme established that the pool’s giant roof
lanterns were not original pattern but dated from the 1950s or 60s and could be replaced. “They were metal-framed and single-glazed, and the wind
blew through them,” Caddick notes. “The pool had to be closed when wind speeds went above a certain level, because of fears that panes might fall in.” Daylight now comes through a double-glazed, thermally
broken roof lantern that is sealed for greater thermal efficiency – reducing the demands on the air-conditioning. Much of original pipework is still in place, along with boil-
ers, calorifiers and filters that are only about 20 years old. Pools are expensive and energy-hungry to run, especially in Victorian buildings with little insulation. Sports and gym
elements tend to support a pool’s costs. “Sustainability is great and everybody wants it, but often it doesn’t cost any less – particularly when you’re dealing with
old listed buildings,” says Caddick. “You can’t affect anything that is fundamentally part of the architectural character.” Listed building consent has become increasingly onerous in
recent years, but conservation officers have discretion to accept changes of plan as projects progress, particularly when parts of the fabric of a building are discovered not to be origi- nal materials or structures. “The baths were in a far worst state than we had realised ini-
tially,” recalls Caddick. “There was a lot of work to bring every- thing up to modern standards and to make the structure sound and efficient. Otherwise, our main concern was to transform the changing facilities to reflect the social and ethnic diversity and the varying levels of modesty, privacy and segregation of the sexes required – and to add a new learner pool.” The biggest change to the fabric of the building is the new
lift shaft that improves disabled staff and visitors’ access from the ground to the other three floors. It is in a compatible style to the rest of the building, and a scissor-lift has also been
Continued overleaf...
The centre now has a well-equipped gym
respond online... search our information archive at
www.adfonline.eu
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76