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PROJECT REPORT: SPORTS & LEISURE FACILITIES
ACTIVITY WEDGE
The plan has a central ‘activity wedge’ containing the reception and cafe, with views outside and into the swimming pool, set between the pool and sports hall
combined with an overhanging roof that reflects the design of the education college opposite. The forms created also include glulam timber columns alongside full-height glazing – mirroring the forest and helping open the centre up to the outside. Heading through the centrally-positioned entrance, the new leisure centre hosts a wide range of amenities, including a 110-station state-of-the-art gym, plus two pools, three group fitness studios, a ‘Clip n’ Climb’ wall, three squash courts, an eight-court sports hall, a steam room and a spa pool. All of the internal areas have been designed with “sensitive materiality,” say the architects, which, combined with a layout closely focused around the needs of users thanks to a highly collaborative design process, amounted to a “truly landmark building that brings people together,” says GT3. Paolo Coyle, senior architect at the practice, says that the finished result encourages “community cohesion and improved access to health and wellbeing services.” In addition, the collaborative approach taken to the project also allowed the team to achieve key milestones early, evidenced by the project being completed five months earlier than initially anticipated.
The brief GT3 Architects is a multidisciplinary architecture practice whose services include
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consultation, workplace and residential design, and masterplanning. Their specialisation however is in the sport and leisure sector, and already having a strong portfolio (plus relationships with relevant governing bodies such as Sport England), the practice was well placed to take full advantage of this opportunity in Coalville, and deliver the results for leisure operator Everyone Active.
The client conducted a bid process among several design firms. The successful GT3 team were appointed to undertake design, management and building procurement, which meant combining design, construction and operational aspects of the new leisure centre, with the funding provided by the council. According to Coyle, the practice is in a continual process of reviewing its previous design projects to produce the best result possible, using its in-house R&D expertise to improve user experiences as well as its design processes. However, the practice’s first step in every project, says the architect, is to fully understand the client’s aspirations for this individual building. The brief, initially discussed during ‘dialogues’ with the client, says Coyle, was for a strongly community-focused facility for the district, but one which would be informed by the pre-existing facility and its users. As in any project of this type, the form needed to suit the business case as
ADF SEPTEMBER 2023
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