Willmott Dixon is going to deliver a Passivhaus leisure centre that is set to be one of the most modern, energy efficient leisure facilities in the world through Surrey’s Spelthorne Borough Council. The wet and dry leisure centre will be the first to attain the Passivhaus standard in the Greater London region, being designed to absorb up to 70% less energy compared with a standard new building.
The building sketch optimises natural daylight and integrates photovoltaic panels to produce energy from renewable sources. After completion, the centre will comprise an eight lane 25m main pool, learner pool, a 6-court sports hall, three squash courts, 950 square metres of fitness space.
Read also: UK to invest US $774.7m in northern rail network upgrade
Passivhaus methodology
The project will use Willmott Dixon’s Passivhaus expertise, which has helped the company build the first Passivhaus ‘Plus’ primary school, Hackbridge Primary School in UK as well as the largest Passivhaus secondary school, Harris Academy, all in Sutton. The company also completed the George Davies Centre for University of Leicester in 2015, another vital Passivhaus building. The Willmott Dixon director in the London & South region, Ian Edwards commented on how the company provides an exciting opportunity to put the expert knowledge in Passivhaus methodology into action and furthermore 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 well-being of the community. The chair of Spelthorne Borough Council’s Community Committee, Cllr Sandra Dunn, was happy that the Spelthorne passivhaus leisure centre project has been given approval to proceed to the next stage. Talks from residents has heavily influenced the location, design and facilities and they have put effort to ensure the new building meets the Gold standard for environmental credentials. “This is going to be a incredible hub for all the community, offering an excellent range of sports facilities and activities for everybody to enjoy. I believe it will make a huge difference in encouraging residents to maintain healthy lifestyles. I look forward to seeing the plans take shape,” added Sandra. Spelthorne passivhaus leisure centre marks the modern ultra-energy efficient, future-climate ready building from Willmott Dixon, which under its Now or Never sustainability strategy sets to be net zero carbon by 2030.
