A modern yet
sympathetic design are the hallmarks of the £25m new High Wycombe Leisure
Centre featuring a Proteus copper clad entrance pod.
Skilful design by
Space & Place Architects has avoided the large hill-top building imposing
itself in a part of High Wycombe that contains areas of outstanding natural
beauty.
High Wycombe Leisure
Centre is clad mainly in aluminium, with Proteus HR TECU Patina used to create
a striking Verdigris green copper clad entrance pod that projects outwards from
the main building and overhangs the reception foyer.
A combination of
skilful design and careful choice of façade material overcame the main
challenge on this project, which is common to all sports centre buildings; that
of minimising the visual impact of what are large square box-like structures.
At 10,750 m²,
including an 8 lane 50m swimming pool, 12 court sports hall, health suite, 150
station fitness suite, squash courts and bowls hall, the building had the
potential to overly dominate its surroundings.
Avoiding this was
helped by choosing copper cladding fixed to lightweight composite panels which
enabled Space & Place Architects to minimise weight loadings on the
overhanging entrance pod, accentuating the ‘floating’, gravity defying
aesthetic. Supporting by only two slender steel pillars, the TECU Patina copper
clad pod appears to hover over the main building like an otherworldly, organic
apparition.
The rectangular TECU
Patina panels are fixed in a vertical arrangement to create an eye-catching
contrast to the thin, elongated, horizontal aluminium panels of the main
façade. This mix of materials, panel design and colours compartmentalise the
building, again minimising its visual impact on the landscape.
TECU Patina from
Proteus offers the beautiful natural Verdigris green appearance of aged copper
from the outset, and which would otherwise build up over the years through the
natural oxidation process. This innovative cladding material bypasses the gradual
development of the earthy tones through natural weathering.
Proteus HR, which has
a honeycomb core, is an integrated modular rainscreen cladding system that
offers a flat façade with recessed joints. It is available in steel, aluminium,
zinc, stainless steel, copper alloys and other materials. The honeycomb core on
Proteus HR minimises material use, whilst still retaining an optically flat
panel, meaning it is a practical solution on a wider range of projects.
The Proteus HR TECU
Patina cladding was fixed to lightweight Paroc composite panels with fire
resistant stone-wool cores by MIZ Consultancy Ltd. The combination of insulated
composite panel to form the inner leaf of the overhanging pod and visually
striking copper clad outer enabled the architects to realise their vision for a
‘floating’ entrance feature.
Paul Clayton,
Associate Director at Space & Place architects, said: “We choose to clad
the entrance area at High Wycombe Sports Centre in pre-patinated copper panels
because it created a distinct yet subtle point of arrival for visitors. We went
through options for appearance of the building with Wycombe council, as it’s
positioned at the top of hill in a residential area. We felt that the copper
cladding from Proteus softened the building’s appearance on the side that faces
open country and beyond.”
Proteus worked closely
with the glazing partner on this project to ensure that the large glass panels
integrated seamlessly with the copper cladding, accentuating the sheer smooth
aesthetic of the entrance façade.
Copper is one of the
most versatile, attractive and adaptable architectural cladding materials
available, providing consistent performance and a high level of aesthetic
appeal. Advances in the oxidation process means that Proteus us now able
to offer a wider diversity of green Verdigris patinations as well as
alternative colours such as blue and red tones.
For those seeking the
bright copper aesthetic before oxidation takes place, Proteus offer TECU
Classic, optionally available with a special coating to stop the natural
weathering process.
TECU Oxid offers a
softer, aged beauty of natural earthy copper tones but which hasn’t yet reached
the green Verdigris appearance.
Wycombe Sports Centre
has doubled its membership since it opened. The main contractor on this project
was Wilmott Dixon.
