In 2018, Sherborne School commissioned us to refurbish and extend their sports
centre. The centre has been a great asset to the school and its local community
for many years, and was one of the London 2012 Olympics
pre-games training camps.
The project comprised refurbishing the swimming pool, entrance, squash courts, staff offices and 3-court sports hall. Extensions above these existing facilities provide room for new spaces:
• Gym
• 2 studios
• Performance studio (a school-focused weights and training room)
• New staff offices
• Physiotherapy room
The extensions are conceived as three timber boxes: using one material ensures the volumes feel cohesive and balanced against the brick of the original sports centre. A glazed frontage creates a clear and welcoming main entrance. The new volume above it projects forward to provide a sheltered entrance and frames the entrance between the pool and squash courts. The visual impact of the projecting volume is softened by timber cladding and a full-height glazed elevation with vertical aluminium fins.
The new storey over the squash courts is set back from the parapet, lessening its impact. From here, gym users can look out onto the canopy of the trees, connecting them to their natural surroundings.
A large new extension at the rear of the building provides:
• A 5-court sports hall
• A climbing wall and a bouldering wall
• Golf simulator room
• Classrooms
• Changing facilities
We refined the design of all the new elements with Sherborne’s sports department and the sports centre staff, who were keen to offer a wider range of sports and exercise classes to students, local people and clubs. There are also classes aimed at older people, making the centre an inclusive space where people of different ages can meet and motivate each other.
