Levitate Completes Timber Cricket Clubhouse in Surrey

London practice Levitate has completed a 'light' clubhouse for Valley End Cricket Club, clad in larch timber and featuring a large oversailing roof

The design was the winning entry in a RIBA competition – selected for its compact design on a limited budget.

The pavilion, completed last year to coincide with the club's 135th anniversary, provides facilities for the support of this local grassroots sporting club. It accommodates a café, changing facilities and back-of-house functions.

The design makes the most of the topography of the site, east of Windlesham village in Surrey, to gain an elevated view over the two main cricket fields.

Its roof rests on a 'berm' and juts out to create shading for the interior during warm summer months. The roof also corresponds with a timber frame demarcating a terrace from which spectators can watch the games.

The superstructure is a combination of CLT and SIP panels, all fabricated offsite, ensuring fewer vehicle movements during the build.

Externally, cruciform steel footings support timber posts that sit within the timber beams. On the inside, a clubroom has wraparound glazing to provide expansive views.

The simple plan creates both a public area for spectators and for casual post-training downtime where it addresses the fields.

In 2015, Levitate completed a cricket pavilion for Oundle School in Northamptonshire, also featuring a similar triangular plan.