sports & leisure facilities special report
37
© S+P Architects “The council had a strong desire to promote the use of low
and zero carbon technologies within the district.” A biomass boiler is incorporated in the car park to serve the
leisure centre providing on-site renewable energy. All major areas except the swimming pool are naturally
ventilated and the whole venue can be naturally lit, which Lee notes is unusual for a sports hall, or it can be blinded for competition events. “We started doing BREEAM but attaining it was not a
planning condition and gradually the processes for it were not used as we were trying to meet aspirations of council, not BREEAM,” Lee says. Although the centre opened to users in January its formal
opening was on 2 March by HRH the Duke of Kent, who had opened the original centre in 1978. The council says the new centre has proven its worth in its
first few months with junior and adult swimming usage having increased by 58 per cent and 74 per cent respectively compared with the same period in 2015. Squash court bookings have risen by 29 per cent. Lee reflects that he has designed many leisure centres and
“they are large boxes, that is the nature of these buildings”, with the architect having to fit in all that the client requires and design something both visually appealing and unobtrusive. His other work has included the Swiss Cottage leisure
centre in north west London, technical support to Dame Zaha Hadid on the Aquatics Centre at the London 2012 Olympic
and Paralympic Games, and his firm is about the start work on a leisure centre at Ely for East Cambridgeshire District Council. Wycombe’s actual and budding sports people will surely appreciate the new centre.
Project management: Mace Masterplan architect: Richard Markland Architect:AFLS+P Architects Main contractor: Willmott Dixon Structures and civil engineering: Curtin Pool and wet area tiling: Spectile Tiling: Elite Tiling Electrical contractor: REL Aquatic facilites: Barr & Wray Moveable floor: Variopool Steelwork contractor: Miflin Construction Aluminium cladding: James and Taylor Centre operator: Places for People Client: Wycombe District Council M&E coordination: Kershaw Mechanical Services
BUILDING PROJECTS
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