- Hospitality + Leisure
- Hospitality + Leisure
Built in 1938, the University of Reading’s sports pavilion was in dire need of replacement. The University chose us to design a new pavilion, located south-west of the existing building so that it could be demolished after the new building was complete.
As our designs developed, we shared them with stakeholders for feedback, and made several important changes. This presented a significant challenge, as we had to accommodate new or larger spaces without increasing the building’s internal area.
We recommended removing the dedicated treatment room from the project brief, as this already existed in a nearby building: this allowed space for the changes and improvements which had come up in discussions with stakeholders. For instance, we increased the changing space for women, and added a new cleaner’s store to the scheme.
Users of the building are now met with a thoughtfully designed space, with a logical progression through the changing rooms to the showers – placed furthest from the entrance. The pavilion includes a club room, which has separate access to the cricket pitch. We wanted to give a clear view of the pitch from the club room, and worked with the University’s arboriculturist to raise the nearby tree canopies to 3m so that cricketers and supporters could more easily watch ongoing matches.
