March 29, 2024

Bespoke polycarbonate continuous rooflight system connects Braywick Leisure Centre with its community and environment

The Magnet Leisure Centre, built in the centre of Maidenhead around 1975, has been replaced by a new facility set in a nature reserve on the outskirts of the town. BRL Architects were appointed by the local council to design a state-of-the-art leisure centre that embraces the beauty of the surrounding tree-lined park, with established sports and walking facilities, to provide sports, art and a social hub for the users. Sustainability improvements and the local community were at the heart of this project.

“We wanted to achieve the feeling of an outdoor path or street within the enclosed building that could become a market, a foyer to the theatre, or simply a space for people to gather,” explains Stephen Rickhards, the Architectural Director at BRL Architects. “We used timber in the large double-height central gallery to knit into the beautiful surrounding trees and the idea was to flood the area with natural light. The hope is that the community will own the space and shape its future use.”

Helping to deliver a carbon-neutral project with a low environmental impact

The eco-friendly Braywick Leisure Centre is a result of close cooperation of the community, the architects, and contractors. Despite the bespoke nature of the rooflight system design, VELUX Commercial delivered the frame, the roof glazing, and the ventilation elements largely pre-manufactured to reduce material waste and maximise the efficiency of the on-site installation. This meant some of the structural systems used for the glazing had to be adjusted to reflect the custom nature of the design. A schedule was devised to deliver the complete solution in readiness for the electrical connections and to prevent water ingress and subsequent damage to the building envelope. The roof glazing system is designed to work in harmony with the building envelope and to support the comprehensive energy strategy for the leisure centre.

Further details on the products used can be found here