King’s College School Sports Centre and Swimming Pool
- Status
- Completed 2019
- Client
- Kings College School Wimbledon
- Value
- £12.4m
- Procurement Method
- Two Stage Traditional
- Services
- Architect and Lead Designer from Inception to Completion
- Scale
- 3,327m²
Awards
- Winner - RIBA London Award 2021
- Winner - Wood Awards - Education and Public Sector 2020
- Finalist - Structural Timber Awards 2020
- Finalist - Brick Awards - Education Sector 2022
The new Sports Centre at King’s College School has been designed to consolidate the existing disparate sports facilities into a holistic centre, accessed from a single reception area.
- Status
- Completed 2019
- Client
- Kings College School Wimbledon
- Value
- £12.4m
- Procurement Method
- Two Stage Traditional
- Services
- Architect and Lead Designer from Inception to Completion
- Scale
- 3,327m²
Awards
- Winner - RIBA London Award 2021
- Winner - Wood Awards - Education and Public Sector 2020
- Finalist - Structural Timber Awards 2020
- Finalist - Brick Awards - Education Sector 2022
As Architect and Lead Designer, David Morley Architects (DMA) led a team supported by Price & Myers, Max Fordham, Devin Consulting, and Land Use Consultants.
Our vision for the design was to create a new building that had excellent visual connections between indoors and outdoors to encourage physical activity among pupils, while seamlessly connecting the old facilities with the new. As such, the swimming pool has glazing on three sides, large windows in the gym give views over the grounds and users can see into both the sports hall and swimming pool from the reception.
Existing accessibility problems were solved by providing a simple accessible route to the new sports reception. Other design challenges included integrating the new sports centre into a constrained site, in close proximity to adjacent Grade II and Grade II* listed buildings and construction on a live school site. DMA solved the challenge by organising the building into 3 portions: the pool, sports hall, and central changing block (including gyms, and exercise studios), to provide one common access route from the entrance lodge.
Exterior of sport and pool complex
Planning permission was received both for changes to tennis courts and cricket nets and the replacement of the existing pool plus indoor facilities in 2016. The success of the project was made possible by the strong collaborative relationship between the Design Team, the Client (King’s College School) and Contractor (Knight Harwood).
The new component buildings include a 6-court multi-purpose sports hall, a 25m swimming pool and an exercise area comprising gymnasium, strength and conditioning, and exercise studios.
The buildings maximise key views within the campus, whilst simultaneously minimising visual impact to the residential neighbours, providing a dramatic backdrop to sports being played on the playing fields.
Aerial view with green roof
“You will not find a better physical manifestation of the idea of sport.”
Located in the West Wimbledon Conservation Area and bordered by Grade II and Grade II* listed buildings, DMA has designed the sports complex to be sensitive to its setting with a sculptured green roof helping it to blend in with the surroundings.
A new colonnaded lobby links the new building to the existing squash courts and sports hall to create a single sports complex.
New 25m 6-lane indoor swimming pool
“DMA were excellent partners on this project and overcame the challenge of integrating the new centre with the old building. The result is a sports complex that is intuitive, easy to navigate and which has been extremely well received by both students and the public.”
There is inherent flexibility in the design of the lighting, services and sports performance surfaces in the sports hall to accommodate use by the school for sports or exams and for use by the King’s Club, which operates the sports complex for the public outside of school hours. The King’s Club has seen an increase in new memberships following the launch of the new facilities. With all surplus generated gift aided to the school’s bursary fund, the King’s Club is on track to increase its contributions to assist those pupils who require fee assistance to attend King’s College.
The new sports complex is the final project in King’s College Wimbledon’s master plan, with former projects including a new music school and classroom block.
Please follow link for an amazing virtual tour of the whole complex!
Swimming Pool
