Leisure Media Issue 3 2009 - Leisure Opportunities

PROJECTThe Plymouth Life Centredevelopment is the city’slargest ever investmentin leisure facilitiesPROJECT ONEPLYMOUTH LIFE CENTREA £46.5m sport and leisure scheme to open inPlymouth’s Central Park in late 2011. The development,aimed at becoming one of the country’sleading centres of aquatic excellence, is the city’sbiggest ever investment in leisure facilities.Aside from a 25m by 15.5m diving pool built to FINAstandards with a dry dive area and a 50m 10 lanepool, the facility will include climbing facilities, anindoor bowls centre, a multi-use sports hall, a 150-stationgym, dance and activity studios, and a café.PROJECT TWOSOUTHEND LEISURE AND TENNIS CENTREArchial has designed a £10m 25-metre dive centre andeight-lane swimming pool to open as part of this existingsite in 2010. The diving facilities will include 3m, 5m,7.5m and 10m diving platforms, each 3m wide to allowfor synchronised diving, and the pool will feature a moveablefloor and water agitation and air cushion system. Thedesign also includes a leisure pool with water featuresand a dry diving area with a harness and trampolines.The facilities have been selected as a pre-gamestraining camp for the London 2012 Olympics.What was your brief for SouthendLeisure and Tennis Centre?The scheme consists of a dive pool with 3m, 5m, 7.5m and 10mdiving boards and movable floor together with dry dive facilities.There’s also an eight-lane, 25m competition pool, and changingaccommodation. This major extension then links to the existingleisure centre. It’s been selected as a pre-games training campfor the London 2012 Olympics.What was the inspiration behind that design?We’ve developed the design from a concept by Saville Joneswhich expresses the form and function of the different poolareas. The curved roof profile provides a strong landmarkviewed across the adjoining athletic track.What challenges did you face with this design?Again, this is a very restricted site and the design has had toensure that the existing centre can function without interruptionthroughout construction. We’ve liaised closely with our clientofficers from the culture division at Southend on Sea BoroughCouncil and Creating Leisure, which manages the SouthendLeisure and Tennis Centre on behalf of the Authority.Do you design your projects withenvironmental sustainability in mind?We undertake bespoke BREEAM assessments on all our sportand leisure projects, using such elements as biomass fuel systems,rainwater harvesting and CHP plant. BREEAM Very Goodstandard has now become the norm for our public sector clients,and we’re exploring ways we can develop this further.What other projects are you workingon in the leisure sector?We’re busy on a wide range of sport and leisure projects. Apartfrom Plymouth and Southend, we have two new pools underconstruction at Nottingham and Barr Hill, plus a feasibilitystudy for a major project at Perth and refurbishment projects atHadleigh, University of Essex and Milton Keynes. These complementour recently completed schemes at Waendel LeisureCentre in Wellingborough and Riverside Pool in Norwich. ●ISSUE 3 2009 © cybertrek 2009Read Leisure Management online leisuremanagement.co.uk/digital 29