Project Overview
- Project: Spelthorne Leisure Centre
- Client: Spelthorne Borough Council
- Construction Value: £36 million
- Status: Live
- Location: Staines-upon-Thames
A true Community Hub, that is set to be the first wet & dry Passivhaus Leisure Centre in the UK.
In November 2017 Spelthorne Borough Council appointed our design team to undertake a feasibility study – the aim was to understand the feasibility and financial viability of replacing the existing Spelthorne Leisure Centre with a new leisure centre.
GT3 Architects were commissioned to use their “Performance+” process to develop a brief, crystallising the aspirations of all stakeholders and ensuring the final project delivered tangible improvements in performance, outcomes and experience e- all by design. A Vision Workshop was undertaken with Council Officers, the incumbent operator, and community members, to understand, articulate and illustrate all visions, values, objectives and aspirations. The emerging brief was further developed to capture public engagement and stakeholder comments.
The facility boasts both wet and dry facilities, including: an 8 lane 25m Pool, a 4 lane 20m teaching pool with a moving floor, splash pad, a large café to connect with Staines Park, luxury Spa, 6 court sports hall, 3 Squash courts, 2 studios and a state of the art Spin Studio, a 200 station gym, a climbing zone, a soft play area, a flexible multiuse space, 4No. 3g pitches on the roof (utilising the otherwise empty roof space), rooftop community garden space, and cycle trails to connect to the local park.
Even more excitingly, to support Spelthorne Borough Council with their sustainability goals, the designs were amended at Stage 3 to allow for Passivhaus certification.
Of all building types, applying the proven and tested low-energy Passivhaus standard to leisure facilities makes most sense. Leisure facilities are high energy consumers and can be prone to comfort and overheating issues;
- Temperatures are maintained at high levels with plant operating continuously 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
- Space heating and hot water loads are higher than any other building type.
- Electrical energy demand is high due to pool water filtration processes, fan power, and pump power loads, plus fit-out items such as gym and catering equipment.
In consultation with Gale & Snowden, our design is now applying an industry leading, low operation energy standard to a sector that has an inherently high energy usage. The multi-zoned, complex nature of Spelthorne Leisure Centre, demonstrates the industry’s capability to reduce carbon and energy demand across complex Sport & Leisure facilities. The resulting design will see up to 80% reduction in energy usage, along with lower water consumption and operation costs.
Example Design Decisions informed by Passivhaus Standards include:
- Reorientation & relocation of traditional facility layouts & plant rooms
- Air Tightness
- AHU systems
- Optimised DHW
- Pool Filtration