23 Jan 2009
ORMS gets planning go-head for contemporary building in historic Uppingham
Planning permission has just been granted for a new £12m Sports Centre at Uppingham School which will be used by the local community as well as providing exceptional facilities for students.
The contemporary design proposed by ORMS will sit sensitively within the context of the historic school buildings and town of Uppingham where ORMS also has recently completed the Paul David Music School.
Sport and social activities are an integral part of Uppingham School's ethos and ORMS have created a building that facilitates and celebrates them by providing an inspirational backdrop for sporting events. The design recognises that sport is not just about the game itself, but is an experience enjoyed by its participants, spectators and coaching staff. The new Sports centre will provide for all.
ORMS' concept for the 50,000 sq ft development is to create a series of routes between and around the volumes which seamlessly integrate with the landscape, existing building pattern and the traditions of Uppingham architecture.
To achieve this, the design articulates the overall building into three related but distinct volumes allowing each to have a sense of identity. Each volume - Pool and Fitness Centre, Sports Hall and Gymnasium - is articulated to respond to the surrounding landscape and building pattern.
The Pool and Fitness Centre volume, as the entrance and most visible part of the composition, acknowledges the school and public approaches to the Sports Centre and frames the southern end of the first XV rugby pitch. The solidity of the external stone wall predominates, and the placing of the tall vertical windows mark the entrance colonnade. The stone wall becomes more transparent at the western end making the view from the Leicester Road a cool, calm and ordered fusion of glass and stone. A distinctive zinc roof line unifies the whole north elevation, and seen from a distance the roof will blend with the buildings behind.
The Sports Hall is located to the south of the Pool and Fitness Centre and continues the theme of stone. To break down the scale ORMS have introduced a horizontal band of Flemish bond brickwork at high level and large glazed sections at ground level giving views into the building, animating the journey towards the entrance.. Adjacent to the Sports Hall, the Gymnasium forms a contrast; a distinct building clad in bronzed copper sheet with a raked facade and large window openings onto a secluded garden. The Gymnasium and secluded garden are the surprise elements on the journey around the building and are not readily visible from the formal approaches to the building.
The Sports Centre will incorporate a number of Energy Efficient features such as Combined Heat and Power, Solar Collectors, Natural Ventilation and Rainwater Harvesting
The aim of the design is to create a collection of contemporary buildings that will enhance the heritage of the school and local area. The Sports Centre will be contemporary and innovative, yet sensitive to existing buildings and the town.
Work starts on site at the beginning of 2009 and the Sports Centre is due for completion in the summer of 2010.
ORMS
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Uppingham School Sports Centre - page : adrian welch / isabelle lomholt