PROJECT REPORT: SPORTS & LEISURE FACILITIES 43


events desired by the client, thanks to its flexible design.


Design for performance The practice carefully specified each internal finish of the sports spaces to support the corresponding activity likely to take place in each, such as sprung flooring to the sports hall, squash courts and studios, for example.


Beyond focusing on performance above all however, the architects made many nods to the building’s setting and context in its materiality. The pool roof, for example, is constructed of PPC aluminium, which references the nearby college’s copper cladding. Another example of this context- responsive design, say the architects, is a “rhythm of engineered timber elements across the main facade,” which has been designed to respond to the National Forest surrounding the building. According to the architect, these referencing elements were set out during the early planning stages. On the pool block,


ADF SEPTEMBER 2023


for instance, as well as the central entrance and fitness areas, it was always clear to the designers that the building was going to require shading, and this is delivered by a canopy supported by timber posts. Similarly, on the eastern block, timber is used to visually break up the large sports hall’s mass, as all parties were keen to avoid an imposing feel, and also covers an integrated cycle shelter along the connecting ‘Hermitage’ pathway. In a similar way, the remaining external materials were also specified in response to the site’s location and the client’s needs – in particular, the latter requiring a low maintenance material palette. Chosen by the architects from the wide choice at the local Ibstock factory, the brick specification included a 3 metre high brick plinth around the perimeter, which was chosen to provide robustness against regular daily use, and concurrent low maintenance. In terms of the building’s energy performance, the team were well aware of the need to mitigate the commonly high


All of the internal areas have all been designed with a “sensitive materiality,” say the architects


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