Sport & Leisure

Innovation in Play: Designing for Inclusivity

in ,

Innovation in Play: How gcp Chartered Architects Designed the Most Inclusive Cricket Flooring at Headingley Stadium

At gcp Chartered Architects, we believe in constantly pushing the boundaries of sports facility design. Since the 2019 ODI World Cup, we've proudly partnered with the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) and cricketing counties across the UK to develop the most accessible and inclusive training facilities possible.

Our extensive knowledge, accrued through groundbreaking initiatives like the Urban Cricket Centre Initiative and the Covered Outdoor Cricket Facility Guidance Document, has been directly applied to our latest cricket centre refurbishment at Headingley Stadium for Yorkshire County Cricket Club (YCCC).

The Challenge: Designing for Optimal Ball Contrast and Inclusivity

Every cricket centre presents its unique challenges and opportunities for improvement. At Headingley, the coaching staff expressed a specific desire: to have the indoor facility's flooring replicate the authentic colour of a grass wicket.

However, flooring colour in cricket facilities is far more complex than just aesthetics. Optimal ball contrast is absolutely critical for player health and safety. This challenge is further complicated by the diverse range of ball colours used in modern cricket – from traditional red and white to the increasingly common pink for day/night matches.

Recognizing this, our team decided to undertake a comprehensive review of available flooring colours against each ball type. But we went a significant step further. We also seized this opportunity to investigate contrast for individuals with colourblindness, a condition reported to affect approximately 1 in 12 men and 1 in 200 women worldwide. This commitment ensured our design would be truly inclusive.

Our Rigorous Research Process: From Samples to On-Site Testing

Our meticulous research process began by evaluating 17 potential flooring colours, carefully whittling them down to the top 5 most suitable options.

To ensure real-world performance, samples of these five colours were then tested on-site at the Gloucestershire Indoor Cricket Centre. We chose this facility, which gcp also refurbished in 2019, because it boasts a fully compliant ECB TS3 lighting design – a crucial element that has been precisely replicated at Headingley. This allowed us to simulate the exact playing conditions, ensuring accurate and reliable results.

The Optimal Choice: Floor Colours for Unrivaled Inclusivity

Following extensive testing and analysis, the decision was clear: an earthy shade was selected as the most suitable colour for the wicket, closely replicating the look of a grass pitch, while a darker green was chosen for the outfield.

These colour choices have now been installed at Headingley Stadium, providing what we believe is the most inclusive playing surface in the country. This is a significant step forward in ensuring safe, high-performance training environments for all cricketers, regardless of their visual perception.

We look forward to receiving feedback from both YCCC and international players on the impact of this surface. Through further analysis, alongside the ECB, we hope this will become the standard specification for indoor cricket centres across England and Wales.

From Concept to Completion: State-of-the-Art Indoor Cricket Centre

in ,

From Concept to Completion: Headingley Stadium's State-of-the-Art Indoor Cricket Centre is Ready for Action!

Five months on from putting pencil to paper, the brand-new indoor cricket centre at Headingley Stadium stands complete, perfectly timed for the highly anticipated England vs. India test match!

This achievement is a testament to gcp Chartered Architects' expertise in cricket facility design. For over 15 years, we've collaborated closely with the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), developing technical guidance and delivering cutting-edge facilities nationwide. This shared knowledge was absolutely crucial in projects like Headingley's Indoor Cricket Centre, especially given its incredibly tight deadline. Despite the need to have this facility ready for June 20th, gcp successfully integrated the latest learnings from the Covered Outdoor Cricket Facility Guidance Document and our ongoing research projects.

Innovation in Action: Key Design Features

1. Prioritizing Player Safety: A Game-Changer in Access Design

Headingley Indoor Cricket Centre presented a unique design challenge: ensuring safe access to additional rooms directly from the practice area. Historically, this posed a risk of ball strikes when players exited changing rooms. To eliminate this safety concern, the new practice area is bounded by a tension net.

While tension nets offer numerous benefits, they can complicate access. Drawing on our extensive research for the Covered Outdoor Cricket Facility Guidance Document, gcp explored solutions to allow seamless entry without the risk of ball strikes or balls escaping the practice area.

To address the access challenge, we introduced a protected route behind the bowler’s run-up, creating safe and easy entry to Lane 1 without needing to cross Lane 2. For Lane 2, where space was tighter, we designed a specially padded access gate integrated directly into the tensioned net, positioned strategically outside the angle for ball strikes. Crucially, clear lines of sight around all access points ensure safe entry and exit for everyone using the facility.

2. Inclusive Design: High-Contrast and Spike-Resistant Flooring

The flooring throughout the Headingley centre was specified to achieve the highest levels of ball contrast, ensuring optimal visibility for all players, including those with colorblindness. This commitment makes Headingley one of the most inclusive playing environments in the country – a true testament to designing with health and safety at the core.

Beyond the practice area, we specified durable, stud-resistant flooring to ensure safe player access to the 3rd/4th changing rooms. To enhance safety further, we clearly defined a 1-meter "risk zone" around the practice area using a contrasting floor color. While bay nets should always be extended during practice, this visual cue helps identify any residual risks if nets are ever retracted.

3. Future-Proofing Excellence: Ready for Advanced Coaching Technology

Our experience extends beyond elite facilities. In 2021, gcp refurbished the William Perkin CofE sports hall, transforming it into the Wilf Slack Cricket Centre. As part of that project, we developed the most sophisticated lane camera system in the country, allowing for live viewing and recorded playback for coaching sessions.

This unique knowledge has been integrated into the Headingley Indoor Cricket Centre. While not installed yet, the facility is now fully prepped for easy camera installation at any future point. This means that coaches will be able to add high-definition slow-motion playback to analyse every aspect of bowlers' and batters' techniques, ensuring the centre can evolve with the game.

A Collaborative Success Story

We eagerly anticipate feedback from the coaches and players at Yorkshire County Cricket Club (YCCC). Their insights will be invaluable as we continue to refine our indoor centre designs, ensuring we best serve the exciting future of cricket in England and Wales.

Special recognition must be given to our key partners on this project:

  • The Operations Team at YCCC: Integral to the project's success, their clear communication and fantastic knowledge of the existing centre and maintenance strategies were truly invaluable.

  • Construction North Group (CNG): The Contractor worked tirelessly with exceptional attention to detail, ensuring this centre achieved the ECB’s technical standards ahead of the England vs. India test match.

Masterplan: Sheffield Caribbean Sports Club

in ,

gcp have recently submitted a pre-planning application for the redevelopment of Sheffield Caribbean Sports Club. Over the last year gcp have undertaken several rounds of consultation with club members, national governing bodies, local residents and other stakeholders to identify the most appropriate development to ensure the long-term sustainability of SCSC. These plans have public and private sector backing which should enable swift delivery subject to planning approval.

The proposals include:

  • The creation of an artificial 7-a-side football pitch would allow the club to train year-round on-site. The artificial pitch would double as an improved hockey training surface for Chapeltown Hockey Club.

  • The introduction of two netball courts would allow the SCSC netball team to return to The Common and reduce club costs for facility hire in the city centre. These courts would also double as tennis courts, a basketball court, and a 5-a-side football pitch.

  • Four padel courts, funded through private investment, would provide a home for the fastest growing sport in the UK. Revenue from these courts should help to fund the other improvements.

  • A three-lane outdoor covered cricket facility would provide state-of-the-art practice lanes which maintain their performance year-round without the capital expenditure associated with a traditional sports hall.

  • Rationalised parking to increase the number of vehicle spaces on site and improve safety for pedestrians and vehicles moving through the site.

  • Landscaping features to improve the ecology and biodiversity on site, as well as create natural terraces to improve viewing opportunities for the cricket pitch.

This masterplan pre-app will run in tandem with the clubhouse planning application which is expected to receive a decision this summer.

ECB Design Guidance Note

in ,

Over the last 18 months, gcp Chartered Architects have led an extensive team of consultants, alongside the England & Wales Cricket Board, to produce a design guidance note for ‘Covered Outdoor Cricket Facilities’. The process involved a significant amount of technical rigour and research, including: consultation across ECB departments, conversations with various other national governing bodies and manufacturer and supplier meetings. All of this to achieve an ‘inside out’ approach offering a valuable new opportunity for those wanting to provide cricket training and playing facilities year-round.

Materplan: Example Urban Scenario

The project began with a team meeting at the ECB’s Covered Outdoor Cricket Facility pilot scheme, Bradford Park Avenue. The meeting allowed the team to analyse the pilot facility in depth, established what was working well and what might need clarification as a part of the technical design guidance. gcp were also commissioned to undertake a photographic study of the facility as a part of the research phase.

Following the Bradford meeting, gcp embarked upon the wider research phase, initially meeting with:

  • Manufacturers, and suppliers of netting, surfacing, structures, canvasses and even bowling machines!

  • National governing bodies for other sports

  • Regional cricket clubs

  • A team of specialist subconsultants which included a civil and structural engineer, an MEP consultant, an accessibility consultant, an acoustician and a building regulations consultant.

Single Lane General Arrangement Plan

Through close collaboration with the ECB Facilities Services team, gcp proceeded to the design and written phase of the project, with each consultant feeding in their own contributions, comments, and expertise along the way.  

The evolved document underwent extensive in-house review from both gcp and the ECB before being released as a culmination of approximately 18-months’ work, including input from dozens of different experts and professionals.

Net configurations

This project is the latest in an ongoing 15-year working relationship between gcp and the ECB, where we have provided architectural and wide ranging consultancy services. We’re extremely proud of the continued relationship with such a prestigious sporting national governing body. We’re also very grateful to the ECB for their continued support. Projects like this are only ever made possible with mutual trust, collaboration, and dedication.

Finally, we are thrilled to announce that the documents are now available to download on the ECB website, here: https://www.ecb.co.uk/news/4263505 .

Bradford Park Avenue (ECB Pilot Scheme)

Works Commenced: Headingley Stadium

in ,

Works have commenced on site at Headingley Stadium to upgrade their indoor practice facility ahead of the England v India test match this summer. gcp Chartered Architects were recommended to Yorkshire County Cricket Club (YCCC) by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) to design and co-ordinate the refurbishment works. gcp were appointed at the start of February 2025, prepared the tender pack by the start of March with a view to getting on site at the start of April, and completing the works by mid-June.

The proposals will greatly improve the health and safety strategy for the facility by complying as far as reasonably possible with ECB technical guidance. Learnings have also been taken from our recent technical guidance note for the ECB on Covered Outdoor Cricket Facilities, particularly around the use of tensioned net environments and a considered method of entry and escape through a potential risk zone for inclusive and safe access.

Construction North Group (CNG) have made great progress with the strip out and demolition works. We look forward to seeing progress on site over the coming weeks.

Oxfordshire Cricket and gcp Architects Announce New Partnership

in ,

gcp are excited to announce that we have recently partnered with Oxfordshire Cricket. At gcp, we have a passion for cricket and a reputation for developing the cricket facilities that often sit at the heart of a community. We’re looking forward to supporting Oxfordshire Cricket in their strategic priority areas, which (among others) include: Engaging children and young people, transforming women’s and girls’ cricket and supporting their communities.

You can read more about this partnership here.

#cricket #architecture #design #OxfordshireCricket

Appointment: Barnsley Gymnastics Club

in ,

Following referral by a national sport equipment provider, gcp were appointed by Barnsley Gymnastics Club to assess the feasibility of the club’s relocation.

We firmly believe that sport development needs to happen in partnership with key local actors to have maximum impact in the community. We therefore consulted with key stakeholders including the National Governing Body for Gymnastics, the Council, and the local Active Partnership to develop the feasibility study. Alongside our strategic review, we developed a project brief and cost plan to give the club an accurate picture of the investment involved to enable their ongoing growth.

Sheffield Caribbean Sports Club: Public Consultation

in ,

On the 16th of July gcp had the opportunity to engage with the public through a consultation event for the redevelopment of the Sheffield Caribbean Sports Club (SCSC).

The project came about as Des Smith, the founder of SCSC and BBC Sports Personality ‘Unsung Hero’ at the end of 2023, gaining traction and prompting the redevelopment of the club.

It was a lively day engaging with residents, coaches, children that play at the club and several volunteers for the club. It was great to receive an overwhelmingly positive response to the flexible approach we’ve taken on the design that allows for a functional, future proof space.
Additionally, the introduction of diverse opportunities for sports at masterplan level was welcomed by the community, and we were happy to see the growing excitement for developing better opportunities for women in sports from the club as well as from the public.

We’d like to thank everyone that attended as well as the club and volunteers for giving us a taste of the welcoming community that already exists at SCSC, it is our goal to create spaces that match the inspiring nature of the people that use them.

Osterley Cricket Club Redevelopment

in ,

Following a devastating fire in 2022, which destroyed most their clubhouse, Osterley Cricket Club appointed gcp to prepare a detailed feasibility study for the redevelopment of their ground just off Tentelow Lane in Southall. The ground is set within the historic and listed landscape around Osterley House. The site is busy throughout the year and is also the home of Cademy FC, a vibrant and successful youth football club with links to many premier league football teams. The feasibility study quickly highlighted that in order to deliver the club’s vision for the site, a comprehensive masterplan was required to allow for a phased redevelopment as funding becomes available.   

 

The preliminary planning stage masterplan design includes a remodelled site with parking improvements and ecological enhancements to support biodiversity, a new clubhouse incorporating the remainder of the fire-damaged changing block, a secondary officials’ block with sensory space, and 3 new practice batting lanes. The planning design is a result of extensive collaboration between the club, the England & Wales Cricket Board and numerous stakeholders including Ealing Borough Council, Sport England, Middlesex Cricket, Middlesex FA, The Football Foundation and specialist subconsultants.

 

The final stage of the planning stage design development is a half day public consultation event at the club on Wednesday 10th July between 12 noon and 7pm. Following feedback received from the consultation designs will be revised and developed for planning submission by September 2024.

Planning consent for first zero-carbon clubhouse in the UK!

in ,

This small project in Bristol for Downend & Frenchay Tennis Club brings together two of gcp’s passions: sport and sustainability. From conversations with the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA), we believe this is the first LTA-affiliated clubhouse in the country to be designed as zero-carbon! This is a great step for the sport, and is particularly poignant as the LTA transitions into its 1st full phase of its Environmental Sustainability Plan.

The new clubhouse is on the grounds of Frenchay Cricket Club. With the tennis club going from strength to strength, it became quickly apparent that the club required facilities of its own. DFTC appointed gcp to develop a project brief and designs for a tiny slither of land, located between the tennis courts and the site boundary. Given the site’s constraints, we focused on the core spaces required to support the club: a clubroom to host post-match teas, enable coaching briefings, and provide an all-important hub for club socials; a sheltered viewing area; and toilet and showering facilities. The 75sqm facility is designed to ensure accessibility for all with level thresholds throughout. Materials have been chosen to be robust, to ensure the club’s ongoing enjoyment of the facility without incurring high maintenance costs.

The club’s ambitions did not stop at a functional clubhouse. Clubchair Penny White and fellow committee members wanted an environmentally sustainable clubhouse, and we couldn’t be more pleased to support this ambition. We specified high performing thermal fabric and worked with an M&E consultant to ensure heating and ventilation systems would be as efficient as possible. We explored the option of Passivhaus certification. Unfortunately, the site constraints limited us to a long rectangular form running along a north-south axis, not ideal for Passivhaus. We modelled energy use and on-site energy generation and storage, ultimately achieving a design solution which is zero carbon in operation.

Construction itself has a high environmental impact. With the support of Structural Engineers at Build Collective, we looked at construction systems to minimise the carbon footprint of the building, whilst maintaining the high performance standards. An engineering joist system was chosen, along with wood-based insulation for walls and roof.

Having supported the Club in their funding applications to South Gloucestershire Council and Enovert, we are delighted that the project has secured substantial funding and look forward to being on site next year!

Above: Design Development

Complete: Westbury Swimarium

in

Sarah Harris and Rick Johnstone, of the Swim School Ltd, came to gcp with a challenge: to design and deliver their ‘Swimarium’ in Westbury, Wiltshire. Being a retrofit of a former warehouse made the brief a little unusual.  The pool itself had already been procured, leaving the challenge of accommodating the ancillary facilities and plant in the remaining space.

The pool occupies approximately a 100m2 footprint, within a building that has a 230m2 gross internal area. Necessary accommodation also included: An entrance hallway, an accessible wc, 2 changing rooms, a viewing gallery, lockers, a plant room, a chemical store, raised teaching walkways and compliant escape routes; making the spatial tolerances are extremely fine. 

gcp undertook all the design work from the initial feasibility study through to concept, planning and technical design stage. The warehouse underwent an extensive thermal and structural upgrade, with half the roof accommodating solar pv panels. gcp also supported the construction team throughout, with the design calling for some unique detailing around the piled pool slab, teaching walkways and external walls. All credit goes to the contractor, Hill Project Management, who ran the build stage diligently and professionally, under significant time constraints.

Recently we were also pleased to be invited along to the grand opening. With a long waiting list and thousands of satisfied customers, we hope that this will be one of many more Swimariums to come!

End of Year Wrap Up: 2022

in , , , , , , , ,

2022 has seen the “new normal” become the normal-normal, with hybrid working and remote meetings just a part of everyday life now. With bubble-working and office closures a thing of the past, the word of the year at gcp has been collaboration. We have really enjoyed being back in the office together, sharing stories and cakes at our Monday huddles and using our new whiteboard space for design workshops.

We started the year by offsetting carbon emissions: a frosty January day was spent planting trees with Avon Needs Trees. gcp are committed to tackling climate change both through our designs and our actions. We hope to build off this initial planting session by further developing our carbon tracking, reduction, reporting, and offsetting strategies to better understand how we can make a difference.

In February we celebrated national apprenticeship week, with architectural apprentice Owen Faunt. We are pleased to be supporting Owen through his Architectural Apprenticeship at South Bank University, London. We love discussing his projects and seeing his finished work and are incredibly proud of how far he’s come since his change of careers 3 years ago.

Part of his experience this year was the chance to work on The Ranch, Southmead, with DIY SOS. gcp helped with the overarching vision and Owen got the chance to put his amazing sketching skills to work.

Team challenges form the cornerstone of office morale here at gcp, and in March we split into team-bikes and team-books to see who could go the furthest – readers or cyclists. Team reading easily beat the cyclists, though with their many pub lunch cycles clocked up, who was the real winning team?!

In July, some of the staff, their partners and families took a relaxing weekend trip to Devon and in September we celebrated the company’s 30th birthday with our favorite memories and a huge cake.

2022 has seen a boom in recent sports project experience. gcp were proud to help bring a top class sporting facility to West London, with the completion of a fantastic cricket centre developed in conjunction with the Wilf Slack Trust, Middlesex Cricket and Willam Perkins School. We have some more exciting sports projects on the program for 2023!

Our long-running relationship with Curo continued this year, with Century Park a 128 unit scheme progressing well on site. This scheme has received great press and is a finalist in Bristol Property Awards, for Residential Development.

Alongside marking a continued relationship with Curo, we were pleased to be working with EG Carters, a partnership which has been ongoing for over 18 years. We have worked closely with the EG Carter team over the years to find practical development solutions for often tricky sites across the South West.

Our first project together (back in 2004!) was a small infill housing project in a dense urban neighbourhood in Bristol. Current projects include Rural Exception sites in Somerset and Wiltshire where we have worked closely with the E G Carter team, jointly negotiating our way through complex planning, land and environmental issues, to deliver needed affordable homes that are welcomed by the local community.

We celebrated with Acorn Property Group and Halsall the completion of Brooks Dye Works, a 113-home regeneration project in St Werburghs, Bristol.

Our initial contact with Acorn began when we supported Halsall Construction on the Otters Holt development in Ottery St Mary, a complex brownfield development in a conservation area. Acorn subsequently approached us to resolve planning conditions and provide technical design for their major project at the old Brooks Laundry in Bristol. Alongside architectural design we also provided energy assessments to meet Acorn's performance targets through our in-house energy consultancy.

Alongside our continued housing experience and exciting sports projects, we have been working on Retrofit in the Forest of Dean. At the CIH conference in September, Tom Mellor presented alongside Curtins, Two Rivers and Rider Levett Bucknall as part of the “Bristol Retrofit Collective” speaking to Demystify PAS2035. We will be running some further seminars on this subject in the New Year, so please get in touch if you’d like to get added to the list.

All in all, it’s been a busy year for gcp and we rounded it off with a lovely Christmas meal in Bristol last week. After a busy few months, it was lovely to gather around the table, enjoy good food and even better company and raise a glass to the success of our small team over the year.

We can’t wait to see what is in store for us and for you, in 2023.

Season’s greetings to all and wishing you a very happy New Year.

Wilf Slack Cricket Centre Opens

in , ,

Tuesday 26th April saw the opening of Wilf Slack Cricket Centre in Ealing, London. This community-focused centre was the brainchild of Keir Smith (William Perkin CofE High School) and Katie Berry (Middlesex Cricket) who have worked tirelessly for the last seven years to bring their vision to reality.

On the recommendation of the England and Wales Cricket Board, gcp were brought on board in 2021 to provide technical guidance and deliver the project. Through close collaboration with specialists and stakeholders, we collectively delivered a centre which provides:

-          Four independent ECB compliant cricket lanes

-          Multisport capability including basketball and badminton

-          Specialist LED lighting with scene control for cricket / badminton / exam conditions

-          Safe viewing areas for coaches and parents

-          State of the art lane cameras with playback capabilities for coaching - possibly the best in the country!

-          Inspiring brand environment designed by RAW Brothers (https://rawbrothers.co.uk/blog/cricketing-legend-wilf-slack) which tells the compelling story of Wilf Slack

-          Meeting room facilities with live / recorded camera playback for events and coaching

Developed with the local community in mind, with a particular focus on providing opportunities for women / girls and people with disabilities, the centre builds on excellent outdoor facilities including a full-sized cricket pitch. Middlesex Cricket’s Women, the Sunrisers (https://www.middlesexccc.com/news/2020/08/sunrisers-launch-new-website) and Girls squads, Disability squads and Participation Team are already making use of the facility alongside local recreational clubs and schools.

It was brilliant to see the centre in use at Tuesday’s opening event. The feedback from all stakeholders was incredibly positive and leaves us with no doubts that the centre will be a success.

Katie Berry, Middlesex Cricket’s Director of Participation, commented:

“As a facility, the Wilf Slack Cricket Centre, stands head and shoulders above anything else in the county. The term state of the art was made for this facility and with the shared vision we have with the team at Twyford CofE Academies Trust, we know that this centre will become a vital hub for the local community.”

Keir Smith, former William Perkin CofE School Head Teacher, commented:

“As a state school, we are extremely proud to be able to offer a first-class cricket facility that rivals anything else in the area, even in the private school sector, and we want this centre to be a shining example of what can be done in state schools with the right vision and the right partners in place.”

Jonathan Platt, Director at gcp Chartered Architects said:

”The future is so exciting for a school with such fantastic sports facilities and demonstrates the true benefit of a trusting partnership between a school, a professional club, local authority, Sport England, and a governing body in the England & Wales Cricket Board can bring in terms of sporting opportunities. There should be more facilities like this that utilises the assets within schools for the wider community. What a great legacy to a committed and highly respected crickets. ”

ECB Bradford Accessibility Review

in ,

Making cricket facilities accessible: 3 things we have learnt

Accessibility and inclusivity are fundamental requirements for the ECB when developing any new or refurbished facilities. In 2019 the ECB launched their Inspiring Generations (2020-2024) strategy which looked to deliver on six objectives:

·         Grow and nurture the core

·         Inspire through elite teams

·         Make cricket accessible

·         Engage children and young people

·         Transform women’s and girls’ cricket

·         Support our communities

Urban Cricket Centres (UCC) provide a unique opportunity to deliver on many of these objectives, but to fully reap the benefit of these high aspirations, due consideration should be taken at an early design stage.

For the first UCC in Leyton, East London, achieving any accessibility goals were particularly challenging due to the nature of the existing buildings. Through careful planning, we managed to reimagine the existing buildings to provide; a range of improvements including a range of accessible gender neutral changing spaces for individuals, small groups and teams; lift access to a first-floor viewing area which now includes Perspex panels to allow for uninterrupted views from a wheelchair, a dedicated faith room, and step free access around the entire facility. Elsewhere on the site two further changing rooms were refurbished to provide flexible changing for the outdoor cricket / football pitches as well as introducing new referee and accessible changing facilities again with step free access to make the whole site fully accessible.

Working on the design stage of the second UCC in Bradford even more scope for inclusivity was available to the design team as the scheme needed a new entrance and circulation routes for the centre. Through collaboration with Jane Simpson Access at scheme design stage,  the project provides first class accessibility through having: accessible WCs on every level, providing dedicated accessible changing, improving the existing changing to allow for ambulant WCs and showers, increasing the size of circulation routes and sizing the lift to accommodate sports wheelchairs, and providing additional accessible parking spaces and ensuing step free access to the facility.

Refurbishing existing buildings to improve accessibility comes with its challenges, but these changes are fundamental to creating Urban Cricket Centres which truly serve all of their communities. The top three things learnt from these projects are:

1.       Ensure accessibility is fully discussed by key stakeholders and is integral to the client briefing stage

2.       Engage an appropriately qualified access consultant as part of the design team early in the development process

3.       Ensure the true cost of the access improvements are picked up in the cost planning process, and provide the client with specific cost advice on the access enhancement as they might be able to attract specific funding for features that go beyond the minimum requirement of the Building Regulations

To further support the design and management of cricket facilities, the ECB has created a suite of documents including a guide, survey form and facility check list as part of their drive to Create Welcoming Environments. These guides are equally applicable to any sports facility.

Mezzanine Guardrail sketch review

Investigations into whole life carbon analysis

in

gcp are always looking for ways to improve as a business. For years we have analysed the operational energy of our designs, but now we are starting to review our performance as a business by setting up our own carbon strategy which looks at tracking, reducing, and offsetting our carbon emissions. Currently we can track our scope 1 & 2 carbon emissions, however the elephant in the room for design and construction businesses currently is scope 3 emissions and specifically whole life carbon in the buildings we design.

Whole life carbon analysis is currently quite challenging due to the wide range of calculators available, and the level of detail required to accurately measure embodied carbon. Gcp have recently trialed three pieces of software to inform how we can perform embodied carbon assessments in the future. The results from one of these are listed below.

We took Foundation Park Pavilion, Swindon as the test project and ran it through the carbon assessment software to see how much carbon is embodied within the construction. We then ran the same project with a CLT frame rather than traditional construction and 70% GGBS in the concrete mix to see the impact. The conclusion was that using CLT and cement substitutes would have given a 66% decrease in embodied carbon and pushed the design well beyond the RIBA 2030 Challenge standard. [Calculations using FCBStudios carbon assessment tool].

This new form of building analysis can be implemented from Stage 0 and help to inform decisions around construction type, finishes, servicing etc. Moving forward we will be looking to integrate this analysis into our design process to better inform clients and improve the performance of their buildings.

Planning Granted for new Cricket facilities in Bradford

in ,

The second ECB Urban Cricket Centre is one step closer to reality having been granted planning approval earlier this month.

Working with existing buildings is rarely straight forward and that was the case with this project in Bradford. In December 2020 we submitted designs to planning for two new cricket lanes and other community facilities at Parkside Sports Centre. During the planning process a huge attenuation tank was discovered beneath the proposed site which tested the project’s viability and ruled out large sections of the site for construction. With a bit of creativity and lots of design reviews, we managed to come up with a viable alternative which positioned the cricket lanes at first floor level, cantilevered out in front of the existing building as a prominent advert for cricket.

As a Bradfordian this has been a fantastic project to work on and it is very encouraging to see the ECB investing in urban areas with such incredible potential but limited existing facilities. This is what the ECB Urban Cricket Centre Initiative was set up to do, and hopefully projects like this will continue to pop up across the UK in coming years.

by Matt Bonney, Project Architect, gcp Chartered Architects

Foundation Park Dome - a fantastic new facility on the horizon.

in ,

Following the successful delivery of Foundation Park Pavilion, we are excited to be supporting Swindon Town Football Club Community Foundation again.  

“We are very excited to announce that we have now formally submitted a planning application to build a covered sports facility on the disused bowls club at Foundation Park.

This covered facility would be another fantastic addition to the sporting hub at Foundation Park, offering more opportunities to the people of Swindon.
”
— Swindon Town Football Club Community Foundation

The site, occupied by Swindon Borough Council, is located on the north side of the newly built Foundation Park Pavilion. The site is 0.31hectares and had been used by County Ground Bowls Club, which was founded in 1925 until 2017. For the last three years the site has been disused and left abandoned.

The choice of site is driven by its adjacency to Swindon Town F.C Community Foundation’s new ‘state of the art’ pavilion building. The new site will offer immediate adjacency to allow for the further expansion of the foundation.

The proposals are for an engineered covered structure and specialist all-weather multi-sports facility. There will be three small-sized sports pitches, two running east to west with a full-size 5-a-side football pitch running north to south. The proposals include a glulam structure with a tensile covering which will be translucent to allow natural light into the facility, with the materials used on the bowls club refurbishment will match the cladding used on the adjacent pavilion building.

Bowls Club Site.png
Drone photo with colour S.png
New covered pitch proposals with existing pavilion in foreground.

New covered pitch proposals with existing pavilion in foreground.

The development’s primary objective is to serve the needs of the local people in Swindon. The Community Foundation provides fantastic support to the people of Swindon to improve their physical and mental well-being. This facility will provide a platform for people to thrive.

Creating Opportunities for Community Engagement in Cricket.

in ,

It has been a busy few years in sport for gcp Chartered Architects, particularly when it comes to cricket.

We are continuing to support the England and Wales Cricket Board’s (ECB) Urban Cricket Centre Initiative, a corner stone of Inspiring Generations 2020-24, the game-wide five-year strategic plan to grow cricket in England. This initiative, which is being piloted across the country, looks to create new cricket facilities in densely populated urban areas where access to traditional facilities are limited.

Flyer Axo Phase 2, Bradford

Flyer Axo Phase 2, Bradford

The latest scheme in Bradford will provide two new cricket lanes and additional community facilities that will transform the Parkside Sports Centre into the second ECB Urban Cricket Centre. The first centre at the former Leyton Cricket Ground in East London was opened by Graham Gooch in July 2019 to celebrate the Cricket World Cup.

Following on from the Bradford and Leyton schemes, we are currently working on the very early stages a third pilot site, also in northern England. If the pilots prove successful, centres will be rolled out across ten major urban areas in England, with each area supporting a minimum of two cricket centres.

Our most recent commission is working with Middlesex Cricket to develop a new cricket development centre at the William Perkin School in Ealing. In honour of the talented Middlesex left hander who formed a formidable opening partnership with Graham Barlow in the early 1980’s, the centre will be named the Wilf Slack Cricket Centre. This project, to compliment Lords Indoor Cricket Centre, will see the school’s existing multi-use sports hall transformed into a cricket focused facility that also makes provision for badminton and basketball. Designed in exacting standards as defined by the ECB, the Wilf Slack Cricket Centre will promote participation from an early age and lay out clear routes for progression in the both the men’s and women’s game.

All centres designed by gcp Chartered Architects integrate the latest thinking around netting layout and configuration to maximize flexibility in use and coaching potential, LED lighting to provide the optimum playing environment for the specified sports (particularly cricket), and sports flooring to provide the highest performing surface. All installations are designed to standards defined by the ECB Technical Guidance Notes and tested upon completion to ensure safe playing environments.

For an informal chat about your cricket development project contact gcp Chartered Architects cricket facility design specialists:

Here are some other exciting sport projects undertaken by gcp in the last two years…

  • Foundation Park Pavilion, County Ground, Swindon.