David Morley Architects - The Racquet Centre
Project Details
Project - The Racquet Centre
Sector - Leisure
Technology - Timber Frame
Company - David Morley Architects
Project Overview
The Racquet Centre completes the third phase of a master plan to broaden the appeal of the Hurlingham Club's sports and leisure facilities to a wider demographic.
The new building is in Metropolitan Open Land, a conservation area and within the curtilage of a listed building. It was developed in close collaboration with the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham's planning and conservation officers, and English Heritage.
The scheme comprises four indoor tennis courts, four squash courts and a flexible multi-use games area.
A vaulted roof with a sedum finish was designed to visually merge with the park setting, articulated by strips of glazed roof lights between each court. In cross section the tied-arch portal links the geometry of the tennis hall to a two storey wing containing viewing galleries and secondary support spaces.
The structure includes five portal frames spanning 38 metres supporting timber stress-skin cassettes which provide an acoustically absorbent uncluttered soffit above each tennis court. Laminated veneer lumber was selected for the cassettes to achieve the required 13m spans. The result is a 38 by 70m column free space. Off-site manufacture of helped contain the overall programme.
