project

Winchester Sport & Leisure Park – ETFE Cushion Roof over 50m Swimming Pool

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  • ETFE Cushion Roof over swimming pool

General information

  • Home page
    https://www.architen.com/projects/winchester-sport-and-leisure-park-etfe-roof/
  • Location address
    Winchester Sport & Leisure Park, Bar End, Winchester, Hampshire, UK
  • Location country
    United Kingdom
  • Year of construction
    2020
  • Name of the client/building owner
    Winchester City Council
  • Function of building
    Sport
  • Degree of enclosure
    Fully enclosed structure
  • Climatic zone
    Temperate - cold winters and mild summers
  • Number of layers
    multi-layer
  • Type of application of the membrane
    covering
  • Primary function of the tensile structure
    • Daylight gains
    • Rain protection
    • Thermal insulation

Description

Winchester Sport & Leisure Park needed a large rooflight over its 50m competition pool. The brief was to bring in as much daylight as possible while keeping external noise out of the pool hall. Architen Landrell was brought in by LA Architects in late summer 2018 to help develop the ETFE concept, and was later appointed by Willmott Dixon, after competitive tender, to deliver the cushion roof and coordinate the design of its supporting steelwork.

Clear ETFE layers were chosen to maximise light and the view of the sky. Glare and solar gain are controlled by louvres between the roof and the pool rather than by fritting the foil. Rain drumming is a known acoustic issue with ETFE, so the cushions include Architen Landrell's rain suppression layer to reduce rain noise in the pool hall.

The rooflight is made up of seven large rectangular cushions, each 12m long and 5m or 6m wide. Because of these widths, safety cables were added to prevent ponding if a cushion ever lost pressure. The humid, chlorinated pool environment also meant that every fixing and component had to be non-corrosive. The finished roof gives a bright, open pool hall where swimmers can see the sky.

Main contractor: Willmott Dixon. Architect and principal designer: HNW Architects (Harding Neil and Watson). Client architect: Stride Treglown / LA Architects. ETFE design, fabrication and installation: Architen Landrell.

Description of the environmental conditions

Enclosed leisure pool hall in a temperate climate. The interior is warm, humid and chlorinated, requiring non-corrosive fixings throughout. A rain suppression layer reduces rain noise on the ETFE, and louvres below the roof control glare and solar gain.

Material of the cover

  • Cable-net/Fabric/Hybrid/Foil
    Foil
  • Material Fabric/Foil
    ETFE-foil

Main dimensions and form

Duration of use

  • Temporary or permanent structure
    Permanent

Involved companies

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