Greater London’s Pioneering Passivhaus Leisure Centre

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13 August 2021

Willmott Dixon has been appointed by Spelthorne Borough Council to deliver a Passivhaus leisure centre that aims to be one of the most advanced, energy efficient leisure facilities in the world.

It will be the first wet and dry leisure centre to achieve the Passivhaus standard in Greater London, and will be designed to consume up to 70 per cent less energy compared with a standard new building, optimising natural daylight and integrating photovoltaic panels to generate energy from renewable sources.

When complete, the centre will include an eight-lane 25m main pool, learner pool, splash pad and spa.  Further sports facilities include a 6-court sports hall, three squash courts, 950 square metres of fitness space, two studios, one spin studio and a multi-use room which combines to create two further badminton courts.

There will also be an open plan café and reception space, along with a roof terrace overlooking four small-sided 3G football pitches.

 

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Buildings Fit for Net-Zero

 

The project will utilise Willmott Dixon’s Passivhaus expertise, which has seen the company deliver the UK’s first Passivhaus ‘Plus’ primary school, Hackbridge Primary School, and the UK’s largest Passivhaus secondary school, Harris Academy, both in Sutton.  It also completed the George Davies Centre for University of Leicester in 2015, another major Passivhaus building.

 

Picture: a photograph of Hackbridge Primary School

 

Chair of Spelthorne Borough Council’s Community Wellbeing Committee, Cllr Sandra Dunn, said:  “I am very excited that this important project has been given approval to proceed to the next stage. Feedback from residents has heavily influenced the location, design and facilities and we have worked hard to ensure the new building meets the Gold standard for environmental credentials.”

“This is going to be a fantastic hub for all the community, offering a great range of sports facilities and activities for everyone to enjoy. I am sure it will make a huge difference in encouraging residents to maintain healthy lifestyles. I look forward to seeing the plans take shape.”

Ian Edwards, director at Willmott Dixon in the London & South region added: “We are delighted to be working with Spelthorne Borough Council, supporting their plans to create a fully inclusive community destination. This provides an exciting opportunity to put our expert knowledge in Passivhaus methodology into action again, to deliver a building that once complete will deliver substantial year-on-year cost savings, while creating a first-class sporting facility to support the health and wellbeing of the community.”

 

What are the Benefits of Passivhaus Design?

 

The Passivhaus approach is about carefully optimising the fabric of the building itself so that energy efficiency is achieved passively. It centres on measures such as extra thick insulation in walls and floors and triple glazing on windows and doors.

 

Picture: a photograph of the George Davies centre.

 

Passivhaus buildings generally achieve a 75 per cent reduction in space heating requirements, compared to standard practice for UK new builds.

 To achieve the Passivhaus Standard in the UK typically involves:

 

• Very high levels of insulation
• High-performance windows with insulated frames
• Airtight building fabric
• "Thermal bridge free" construction
• A mechanical ventilation system with highly efficient heat recovery

 

Picture: an artist's impression of the planned Spelthorne Leisure centre

Article written by Ella Tansley | Published 13 August 2021

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