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BUILDING PROJECTS
RIVERSIDE LEISURE CENTRE CHELMSFORD
Playful I
participation
In designing a riverside replacement for Chelmsford’s main swimming pool and gym, Pick Everard followed a brief to increase local community participation. James Parker reports
n 2014, Chelmsford City Council undertook a condition survey on the only sports complex with a pool in the city boundaries, an outdated 1960s building with 1980s additions. This found that the centre could be kept running with a £9m refurbishment, but it would not be able to meet increasing demand; what’s more the council had a strong goal to increase participation in sports and leisure in the local community.
The decision was made to retain and refurbish the viable elements of the centre – the 1980s ice rink and sports centre – but provide a new, fit-for-purpose, modern pool and gym to replace the old facilities, driven by the motto of “the best leisure offer for the most people.” The £30m works were supported by a £1.5m grant from Sport England, who have “changed focus from an elite sports body to being more about increasing health and participation,” says project architect at Pick Everard, Justin Ashworth.
Against this background, it was key to make the building as inviting as possible to the community, and enhance its function as an important public building for Chelmsford. In light of this, the client wanted to appoint an experienced practice, and Pick Everard have delivered a wide array of sports and leisure projects, such as an Olympic legacy project at Hadleigh Park, as well as military training, school pools, and local authority swimming pool refurbishments across the south east.
The replacement pool and gym scheme was originally developed up to RIBA stage 2 by specialist architect Paul Weston, who “helped the council make decisions on strategy, such as around keeping the old pool open while we built the new one,” says Ashworth. He adds that the constraints around the phased construction “kind of selected the site for us, because we built on the car park while the old centre was still in operation.” As well as Weston’s expertise, the project benefitted from Sport England’s input – from helping make the business case robust and futureproofed, to assisting the council with programming at the centre, and “links with clubs and organisations at national level” to help ensure the centre’s potential is used to its full.
The organisation also has the knowledge (including via its links with Swimming England) to provide design advice on the pool itself, and Pick Everard worked closely with Sport England technical adviser David Hemsley throughout to ensure that the pool had a robust specification. “It means we are providing the client with a building that has proven finishes and construction methods – ones that Sport England know lasts,” says Ashworth. He mentions that as well as attending early design meetings and providing feedback, Sport England also regularly attended site progress meetings to ensure the specification was being delivered. He adds: “This building will be used 364 days a year, from 5.30 am until 10
ADF APRIL/MAY 2020
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