Larkhall Leisure Centre
An exterior facade precedent showing how a transparent ground floor can connect a recreational pool interior directly to park landscaping beneath a rhythmic fluted metal upper volume.
- What we like about this project
- The upper fluted panels visually float over the completely transparent swimming pool hall below.
Materials
- glass
- metal
- tile
- concrete
Visual identifiers
- fluted-metal-cladding
- full-height-glazing
- swimming-pool
- civic-facade
Style tags
- contemporary
- civic
- transparent
- functionalist
Visual tags
- leisure-centre
- transparent-ground-floor
- metal-panel
- landscape-integration
- civic-architecture
- Geometry
- Symmetrical two-story rectilinear volume with a fully transparent ground floor and a rhythmic, fluted metal-clad upper story divided by vertical mullion pilasters.
- Facade system
- Curtain wall ground floor with structural aluminum framing and unitized fluted metal rainscreen panels above.
- Structural guess
- Steel frame with composite floor slabs and lateral bracing.
- Spatial scale
- Two-story civic scale, designed to integrate harmoniously with surrounding parkland.
- Lighting
- Bright, even daylight under a partly cloudy sky, casting soft shadows and highlighting the vertical relief of the upper metal cladding.
- Atmosphere
- Bright, clean, and open, emphasizing wellness and connection to nature.
- Environmental context
- Surrounded by landscaped green space, manicured hedges, and mature trees.
- Spatial experience
- The building opens generously onto the landscape through floor-to-ceiling glass, allowing views into the indoor swimming pool and creating a fluid boundary between interior recreation and exterior greenery.
- Composition rhythm
- Regular vertical bay rhythm established by structural pilasters and crisp panel joints.
- Style reading
- Contemporary civic architecture
- Program
- Leisure centre with indoor swimming pool
- Perspective
- Exterior Facade
- Discipline
- architecture
- Materials
- glass, metal, tile, concrete
- Visual identifiers
- fluted-metal-cladding, full-height-glazing, swimming-pool, civic-facade
- Style tags
- contemporary, civic, transparent, functionalist
- Visual tags
- leisure-centre, transparent-ground-floor, metal-panel, landscape-integration, civic-architecture
- Geometry
- Symmetrical two-story rectilinear volume with a fully transparent ground floor and a rhythmic, fluted metal-clad upper story divided by vertical mullion pilasters.
- Facade system
- Curtain wall ground floor with structural aluminum framing and unitized fluted metal rainscreen panels above.
- Structural guess
- Steel frame with composite floor slabs and lateral bracing.
- Spatial scale
- Two-story civic scale, designed to integrate harmoniously with surrounding parkland.
- Lighting
- Bright, even daylight under a partly cloudy sky, casting soft shadows and highlighting the vertical relief of the upper metal cladding.
- Atmosphere
- Bright, clean, and open, emphasizing wellness and connection to nature.
- Environmental context
- Surrounded by landscaped green space, manicured hedges, and mature trees.
- Spatial experience
- The building opens generously onto the landscape through floor-to-ceiling glass, allowing views into the indoor swimming pool and creating a fluid boundary between interior recreation and exterior greenery.
- Composition rhythm
- Regular vertical bay rhythm established by structural pilasters and crisp panel joints.
- Style reading
- Contemporary civic architecture
- Program
- Leisure centre with indoor swimming pool
- Perspective
- Exterior Facade
- Discipline
- architecture