Client: London Borough of Sutton
Location: Surrey, UK
Size: 3,200m²
Skills: Architecture, Interior Design, Landscape Architecture
Forming part of Broadway Malyan's Roundshaw Neighbourhood Renewal scheme, this combined community and sports centre is situated at the heart of the estate adjoining other community facilities including the church, shops and doctors surgery.
Together with the Roundshaw Park playing fields, the centre provides the neighbourhood's residents with much needed access to facilities that promote healthy living. The architectural concept for the building set out to integrate a broad range of diverse but complementary functions within a single, economic but distinctive building. All major spaces are accessed via a welcoming multi-purpose double-height foyer entered from a landscaped square. The eye-catching feature of the foyer is a two-storey central timber 'beehive'. The ground floor of this structure encloses a café to tempt new visitors into the building.
The architecture is a modern, efficient and economic expression of the building's organisation and structure. A single sweeping roof, supported by laminated timber beams on steel columns, covers a simple rectangular, two-storey white rendered enclosure. Large areas of glazing on the south-west corner give a feeling of openness, inviting potential users to visit the facilities that are on view, in particular the foyer, library and fitness suite. Roof overhangs and timber louvres shade the glazing to prevent overheating and glare. Internally, to complement the laminated timber roof beams, the windows, doors, screens and the central feature in the foyer are all made of timber. Sustainable features include a connection to a mini district combined heat and power system (CHP), and the maximum use of natural daylight through the incorporation of rooflights, lightwells and sun tubes. The 'beehive' was furthermore designed to provide stack effect ventilation. The building is fully accessible to people of all disabilities and contains a full range of sports and recreational facilities including a sports hall, recording studios, library and community police office. The centre also hosts a weekly market.
Finalist in the The Municipal Journal Regeneration Awards 2005
Special Recognition award The Deputy Prime Minister's Award for Sustainable Communities 2005
Shortlisted for Best Housing-led Regeneration Project at the Regeneration Awards 2005