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PROJECT REPORT: SPORTS & LEISURE FACILITIES
THE WARMTH OF EXPOSED CLT Exposed CLT soffi ts and glulam beams lend warmth to the pool hall
a 200-station gym, three studios, two physiotherapy rooms, a six-court sports hall with 200 seats, three fl exible squash courts, a Clip‘n’Climb wall, a cafe, a soft play, rooftop community gardens and four rooftop artifi cial 3G pitches.
Design with a difference The design process had shared focus on providing an improved and more inclusive leisure facility placed “at the heart of every design discussion and meeting.” Initial conversations centred around the need to offer what the local community was lacking, taking into account inclusivity and local character, before evolving to also include Passivhaus design principles. This was when the design really started to follow its own path, diverging from the sport and leisure facilities GT3 had designed and worked on previously. “Unlike typical leisure centres, which often rely on mechanical heating and cooling systems, Passivhaus demands a fabric-fi rst solution,” says Gowdridge.
It was crucial that a high-performing thermal envelope was allied to well-
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designed thermal bridging details in order to reduce the high energy demands typically associated with leisure facilities. “The building layout and facilities were purposefully orientated to maximise solar gains, and plant rooms were dispersed throughout the facility to directly service areas directly with minimal energy loss and maximum effi ciency,” explains Gowdridge. They also examined the way
conventional leisure facilities are often laid out, with “loosely zoned environments” meaning there’s very little control over how airfl ow, heat and humidity move between different areas such as the swimming pool, changing areas, gym or cafe. By contrast, to conform with Passivhaus, the team had to focus on precisely delineated layouts to ensure consistent and balanced conditions throughout the entire building. “This approach also signifi cantly mitigates issues common in older or traditionally built centres, such as overheating, mould and poor indoor air quality caused by inadequate ventilation,” adds Gowdridge. This separation in turn fulfi lled the other key part of the brief – ensuring the facility
ADF SEPTEMBER 2025
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