Great Britain
Sports centre University of Liverpool
Denys Lasdun et Partners
Architect in charge: Stefan Kuszell Assistant architects: C. Baden-Powell, W. Ungless, R. Kwok Structural engineers: Ove Arup & Partners
The sports centre provides covered sports facilities for the newly formed sub-department of physical education. The facilities provided are: A six-lane swimming pool with underwater viewing windows and a gallery overlooking the pool seating 150 spectators.
A sports hall marked out for basket-ball, tennis, net-ball and badminton. At firstfloor level the hall is surrounded by a dual purpose gallery providing access to the climbing wall and facilities for use as a running track. There are four squash courts.
General activity rooms are used for weight training, fencing, various forms of dancing, judo, wrestling and other forms of fitness training.
The structural system derives directly from the planning concept. The core of the building is a three-dimensional system of reinforced concrete floors and walls, two storeys in height, supported by a series of reinforced concrete columns arranged in pairs. The structural core provides the overall stability necessary for the large spatial envelope enclosing the swimming pool and large hall, in addition to providing the central support for the main unispan roof structure.
The swimming pool has been designed as an independent suspended structure within the building. It has a continuous expansion joint round the pool at first floor slab level to isolate its structure from any movement of the building which could otherwise cause possible cracking. Heating is obtained from the university’s central boiler house and district heating mains.
184
Photos: R. Einzing
1. Section 2. Ground floor plan 3. Detail of climbing wall in sports hall 185