Buro Happold to revive landmark Edinburgh pool for 2014 Commonwealth Games
With the Olympics nearly upon us, it has finally been confirmed that Edinburgh’s grade A listed Royal Commonwealth Pool will be completely refurbished. Work is set to start on site next year, and when finished, the pool will host the diving competitions for the 2014 Commonwealth Games. The work is being mainly funded by the City of Edinburgh Council, and partly by Sport Scotland.
The original pool, designed by RMJM Architects, was built in 1967 and used twice for the Commonwealth Games in the past – once in 1970, and again in 1986. The pool, described by Scottish Architecture Minister Linda Fabiani as “a streamlined modernist design of international renown”, will now undergo a £37m upgrade and refurbishment, led by S&P Architects and engineered by Buro Happold.
The existing building is located just a mile south of the city centre, and enjoys a dramatic backdrop provided by the Salisbury Crags and Arthur’s Seat. “In addition to its Commonwealth heritage, it has always been a major centre for swimming in Scotland, nurturing the country’s elite athletes,” said Mike Lee of S&P Architects, “and its success is reflected in its iconic status among swimmers and listing as a building of architectural importance. The design has been challenging. We have retained the elements of the original building which first merited the Grade ‘A’ listing, while upgrading the facilities to today’s performance criteria. We have worked hard with Historic Scotland to ensure that the character of the building will remain intact, though areas such as the changing rooms, reception and café will all be enhanced with an overhaul of space planning, finishes and fittings.”
The pool will be a centre for excellence, while providing the best facilities for local people
The refurbishment will involve replacing the three existing tanks with state-of-the-art pools, meeting the standards for national swimming, water polo and synchronised swimming competitions, and international diving ones. Scotland’s success in the pool during the 2004 Olympic Games has inspired the City of Edinburgh Council to create a centre for excellence for diving in particular. “It will also provide the best possible health suite and leisure facilities for local people,” said James Daw, Buro Happold’s project leader on the scheme.
The existing 50m pool will be replaced with a level-deck pool, 51.5m long by 21m wide, which will have a traversable boom and moving floor. This will allow the pool to be divided into two according to need, to create the space for short and long course competition, warm-up and training, water polo and synchronised swimming, and fitness and leisure swimming options. It will be eight lanes wide, which meets national competition standards.
Meanwhile, the existing diving pool will be replaced by a pool 25m wide, 16.25m long, and with a variable depth of between one and five metres, so it can be used for diving, swimming and synchronised swimming. “The diving platforms will be placed at 3m, 5m, 7.5m and 10m heights, with two springboards, of 1m and 3m respectively,” said Daw. “Versatility is key to both pools, and with a dry diving facility containing trampolines and springboards with harnesses, this pool will provide a national centre of excellence for diving.”
Finally, the teaching pool will be replaced with a 25m pool with a moving floor for variable depth, providing flexible training facilities to a wide range of people, in a separate and secure environment.
“Up to nine hundred spectator seats will be placed on a newly-constructed terrace, giving good sight lines across all three pools,” added Daw. “There will be a health suite, gym, studios, crèche, café and children’s facilities on site too.”
A solar roof will prevent 70 tons of CO2 from entering the atmosphere each year
Buro Happold, who among other disciplines is providing structural, building services and civil engineering, will also be focusing on sustainability.
“Water will be conserved through the use of water-saving appliances, and waste shower water will be recycled and used for toilet flushing,” explained Daw. “An 800m2 solar roof will be installed, which should generate 458,000kWh, saving 70 tons of CO2 from entering the atmosphere each year.” Furthermore, a 237kW(e) combined heating and power (CHP) system will provide 225kW of heating, with a combined saving approximately 400 tons of CO2 per year.
“Buro Happold is very proud of its involvement in the resurrection of this pool, which is a great part of Scotland’s recent architectural and sporting heritage,” said Daw. “It will go on site in 2009, and is planned to be ready in time to be used as a training centre in the run up to the 2012 Olympics, before being used for the 2014 Commonwealth Games.”
Project team:
Client: City of Edinburgh Council
Architect: S&P Architects
Buro Happold services: Structural, building services, infrastructure, ground and environmental engineering; CoSA (computer simulation) and LiT (lighting technologies).
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Buro Happold is a multi-disciplinary international practice of consulting engineers established in 1976. We now employ over 1,700 staff in 21 offices worldwide, and our aim is to produce high quality engineering design in concept, in detail and in execution, on time, to programme and delivering excellent value for money. Our distinctive culture and ethos is still based on the same principles of care, value and elegance that were established when the practice was founded.
We offer structural, building services, civil, infrastructure and façade engineering, as well as a broad range of specialist consultancy services including sustainability, ground and environmental engineering, fire and security design, health and safety management, inclusive and urban design, project management, and specialist CAD and computer simulation provision.