22 | CASE STUDY: LAT YMER SCHOOL SPORTS CENTRE | FACIL ITIES
A sporting chance
Ian Wilson explores the challenges which had to be overcome in the design of a new £10m sports centre at Latymer Upper School in Hammersmith
court sports hall to improve the appearance and performance, as well as support spaces and offices for the sports staff. Following the appointment
ABOVE: externally, the expression of the building is very simple and restrained with a palette of fibre-cement and glass
Latymer Upper School was established in 1624 and has occupied its current site since 1890: a long narrow strip of land stretching from King St to the north to the Thames to the south. In 1950 the A4 Great West Road was constructed, bisecting the school. Linked by a private underpass, the north site became primarily for teaching while the south provided valuable open space for sport and recreation. As the requirement for sports
facilities developed, Latymer commissioned Richard Seifert (architect of the Centre Point tower on Totenham Court Road) to design an indoor sports centre. Completed in 1980, the building served the school well and helped it establish a reputation as one of London’s finest sports schools, excelling in rowing, football, rugby, netball, cricket and swimming. The school has produced students that have gone on to achieve recognition at regional, national and international levels of competition. However, 34 years on, the building was tired and no longer fit for purpose. Meanwhile, the south
site had also been developed for the prep school, utilising the existing detached Edwardian and Georgian villas on the riverside, and for the rowing club with the construction of a boathouse. This strong sporting heritage
is one of the foremost drivers in the redevelopment of the school’s sporting offer and a decision was taken to develop a modern, state-of-the-art, atractive building to encourage not only the production of world-class athletes but also the appreciation of fitness and wellbeing within the whole student body.
Creating a landmark The core requirements of the project were: a 25m six-lane swimming pool with a floating floor – to enable 2m deep competition for fast times and shallow water for teaching and community use; spectator seating; fitness gym; and three large multi-purpose studios, which could be suited together to produce an exam hall. In addition to this, the project required the renovation of the existing six-
of FaulknerBrowns, and as the relationship with the school grew, the architects found that the requirements became much wider. For example, the image of the building was a significant consideration as it is in a very prominent position visible from the A4 – a very busy arterial route in and out of London. An opportunity to create a new visual landmark raising the profile of the school jumped out. The school also placed a high value on its relationship with the local community so FaulknerBrowns knew they had to involve them throughout the design process.
The site challenge The site was particularly challenging both in a physical context and a planning context. The physical constraints included the underpass which arrives on the site in the centre of the northern boundary, and the existing sports hall which had to remain in its present position. This largely dictated the location of the new building which would have to fill the available site to accommodate the brief. The architects also faced the
challenge that the underpass linking the two sites was critical for the daily function of the school and would need to remain open throughout the construction of the new building – this would be a major design constraint. Each boundary was different:
to the north was the A4 with the ensuing noise and pollution issues; to the west were garden walls to properties on Weltje Road with party wall and rights
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