Leisure

Images: ©GT3 Architects & Kristen McCluskie

MODERN LEISURE CENTRE BLENDS SEAMLESSLY INTO NATIONAL FOREST LANDSCAPE

A brand-new £22.5m state-of-the-art sports and leisure facility in Coalville, Leicestershire, has completed five months ahead of schedule, allowing residents access much earlier than anticipated, thanks to seamless collaboration between the design team.

Designed by architecture firm GT3 Architects, on behalf of North West Leicestershire District Council and Everyone Active sports management provider, the firm worked closely with contractor Metnor, project manager Paragon, landscape architect OOBE, and M&E and BREEAM consultant Envision to deliver the project.

Replacing the former Heritage Leisure Centre, this state-of-the-art facility includes an eight-lane, 25m pool with spectator seating, an eight-court sports hall, three squash courts and a 130-station fitness suite. The new community hub has been designed to deliver maximum functionality for users, while achieving reduced energy demands and sitting in balance with its surroundings.

Clare Noble, Senior Architectural Technologist at GT3, said: “We were delighted to deliver this leisure centre so efficiently in collaboration with a host of great firms and contractors. We’ve worked with Everyone Active, Metnor and Paragon on a variety of leisure schemes and have a brilliant working relationship – this communication and transparency, combined with a lot of individuals putting in hard work, is what allowed us to accelerate the completion of the Whitwick & Coalville Leisure Centre.

“A good working relationship is exceptionally important to GT3. We aim to create beautiful spaces while delivering transparency, inclusivity and added value – which is why collaborating seamlessly with our partners is central to our work. Our ‘people architecture’ ethos extends beyond the people we’re designing for to the people we’re designing with, too.”

Blending the facility into its surroundings

The GT3 team tackled various challenges to settle the state-of-the-art facility into its National Forest setting. This included sourcing local materials in keeping with neighbouring buildings, enabling access routes and sustainability issues to complete the extensive build. Working with, and for, residents ensured a stunning building, created with the needs of locals and the landscape in mind.

Paolo Coyle, Project Architect at GT3, said: “One of the key considerations for the build was the sensitivity of the area and the need for a collaborative design, set within the natural landscape in order to enhance the surroundings. The structure has been built in such a way to preserve the openness of the space, showcasing the natural features of the site and celebrating the green setting. Several outdoor spaces were created to mirror the indoor and outdoor activities, providing a strong connection to the natural environment.

“We, therefore, placed a great emphasis on preserving the surrounding greenery through a robust planting and ecology strategy. As a result, a number of key objectives were fulfilled: providing a network of trees, promoting sustainable planting, improving biodiversity and enhancing wildlife habitats in the local area. Any existing vegetation on site has not only been retained but added to, to soften the development and anchor the design within the ecosystem of this National Forest area.”

Blending the centre into the local community

GT3 also made strategic connections with local communities to engage residents and develop access routes from residential areas. The design team included accessible

walking and cycling routes to the new centre, as well as family-friendly facilities, such as picnic benches and a trim trail with 10 workout stations, so that residents can make full use of the site.

In conjunction to the leisure centre itself, a large wildflower meadow with a mown path provides an informal space for residents to relax. There is a natural play area, close enough to the building to enable supervision from the cafe seating.

Paolo added: “The team worked hard to engage a wide range of groups of all ages and backgrounds to ensure the leisure centre improves the wellbeing of residents, and puts health firmly at the heart of the community.

“Part of this was collaboration with stakeholders and consultees to provide the community with an accessible leisure destination, in perfect harmony with its setting. The new pool uses pre-patinated cladding, which gives the appearance of copper panels, the full wall of glazing in the cafe offers outstanding views and natural light, while the overhanging roof mirrors the look of the existing further education college which sits opposite. The dark rainscreen cladding used for the front of the building was also chosen to reflect Coalville’s mining past.”

Callum Bott, Project Technologist at GT3, said: “The building materials were carefully selected in order to reflect the area’s history and to be as energy efficient and sustainable as possible. The locally-sourced Breedon Golden Amber Gravel used for the entrance plaza and pedestrian routes minimised transport into the site, and porous block paving was used within the car parks to facilitate surface water drainage for the site.

“These considerations were also applied to the hard materials palette, focusing on quality and simplicity, to create a cohesive selection of materials found within the local area. They also needed to be hardwearing and easy to maintain. With this in mind, a brick made by resident manufacturer Ibstock was chosen on the grounds of sustainability and suitability. This decision reduced the environmental impact of long-distance transportation to site and supported the traditional local trade of brick making. The clays used for this product are sourced at the Ibstock quarry and moved on an internal road to the factory with only a small percentage of the product, such as mould sand, coming in from off site. Even the gas used to fire the kiln comes in by pipeline and the water used has been recycled or is rainwater taken from the Ibstock quarry.

“By viewing the issues around energy efficiency, accessibility and sustainability through a local lens and using an ecological approach, the team were able to achieve a build that blends seamlessly into its surroundings and will serve generations to come.”  www.gt3architects.com