River Club Masterplan

Leisure & Hospitality

Architect:

Graham Ford Architects

Location:

Greater London

The Clients Brief:

This sports club in Surrey is located in Metropolitan Open Land (MOL). The brief from our client was to improve the club’s facilities and grow the membership by attracting families. It was important to look at the entire site and anticipate how changes to buildings, car parking and landscape might be developed over time. We developed ‘test fits’ or spatial diagrams which helped our client clarify their requirements and future needs. We have completed a pre-application meeting with the local authority planners and we are now developing documentation for a planning submission in collaboration with our team.

The project involves a new 25m swimming pool, a new gym, dance and exercise studios, a cafe/ restaurant; sports medicine treatment area, staff changing, management office, creche and outdoor gardens and landscape. The biodiversity of the site will be significantly enhanced when the project is constructed.

The gym and exercise studios will benefit from natural ventilation due to their orientation which will reduce the energy loads required to run the mechanical ventilation system. All the buildings will be constructed from mass timber and will be clad in timber which will naturally weather. As mass timber has lower embodied carbon than concrete or steel this approach is the most sustainable way to construct the project.

Architectural Services Provided:

Feasibility Study

Architectural Design

Strategic Design

Brief Development

Planning Permission

Scenario Planning

I am a business owner or facilities manager wanting to renovate, extend or build a new sport club 

How prepared are you to commence an upgrade of your sports club?