An exemplar reinvention of the Britannia Leisure Centre in Hackney, delivered by Morgan Sindall Construction, is more than proving its worth, just 18 months on from completion.
In its first year alone, the new centre received approximately 850,000 visits despite pandemic restrictions being in place for much of the year. This represents a 101 per cent increase on annual visits to the leisure facility that previously existed on the site.
The project, which has focused on creating social value from the outset, demonstrates how a collaborative, solutions-based approach can overcome a host of challenges and result in success.
The new state-of-the-art Britannia Leisure Centre is part of Hackney Council's ambitious, mixed-use redevelopment of the original leisure centre site, located next to Shoreditch Park.
As the council's construction partner, Morgan Sindall was instructed to deliver two major schemes for the London Borough of Hackney worth a combined total of circa £97.5 million.
As well as constructing the new leisure centre under a £53.8 million contract, the Morgan Sindall team was also tasked with delivering a new secondary school and sixth form, the City of London Academy Shoreditch Park, under a £43.7 million contract.
Along with new housing – including genuinely affordable social rent and shared ownership homes – these schemes are regenerating the area and providing outstanding facilities for the community, aligning with Hackney Council's vision of 'creating a great place to live'.
Collaboration Overcomes Challenge
This was a technically complex and logistically demanding, large-scale project. It took almost 900,000 operative hours to deliver, with over 2,800 different people working on it.
Urban leisure centres present unique construction challenges, given their size and requirement to facilitate a host of different functions. The ability of Morgan Sindall’s London team to think around these challenges and come up with new solutions, as outlined below, is testament to the Intelligent Solutions approach adopted across the business.
As a project which was predominantly self-funded by Hackney Council, the new build needed to be ultra-cost effective. It was equally vital that the leisure centre development be led by the community – a non-negotiable objective from its conception.
Collaborative teamwork and early engagement amongst all project stakeholders provided the solutions. The Morgan Sindall team engaged with Hackney Council at the earliest opportunity, with a shared project leadership group appointed.
Dedicated community engagement roles were established on both the client and contractor side and clear lines of communication and responsibility were set out. This aided the swift resolution of any anticipated and ad hoc challenges. An honest approach to communication was also encouraged.
The result? A more efficient stacked leisure centre design was adopted rather than traditional ground scraper design. The leisure centre is set over four floors. It houses football pitches and tennis courts with panoramic views of London on its rooftop, two first-class swimming pools plus a flume and splash area, fitness studios, a six court indoor sports hall, four squash courts and a cafe and toilets that also serve Shoreditch Park.
And local residents were engaged in the project from the outset. They had their needs placed at the heart of the design, build and programming of the new facility, raising the bar for leisure centre design.
The success of this project and the approach to its construction has seen it pick up a number of prestigious accolades. This includes winning the:
- New London Architect project of the year award 2022
- Culture category of the New London Awards 2022
- Best Non-Residential New Build at the LABC Building Excellence Awards 2022
- Community Impact of the Year at the AJ100 Awards 2022
- Highly Commended Leisure Project accolade at the AJ100 Awards 2022
- Concept, Build or Design of the Year at the Ukactive Awards 2022
- Water Leisure Venue of the Year at the UK Pool & Spa Awards 2022
In addition to all of the above, the Britannia Leisure Centre has been nominated in the upcoming Civic Trust Awards and was commended in the Hackney Design Awards 2022. The project was also shortlisted for the School Project category at the AJ Architecture Awards 2022 as well as the People’s Choice Award at the Hackney Design Awards.
Social Value Strategy Delivers
Social value sits at the core of Hackney Britannia. As the leisure centre/school build project was central to the wellbeing and development of the community, the team wanted to deliver a long-lasting positive legacy, which also meant the creation of employment and development opportunities.
To that end, Morgan Sindall drove the realisation of social value at every stage of the development scheme and its team created a unique social value bank to calculate the value of the economic, social and environmental commitments and the impact in monetary terms.
Developing the next generation of construction talent in an area is vital for any project that Morgan Sindall works on. This goal was definitively met at Hackney Britannia, as 39 apprentices worked on the new leisure centre and 25 three-week work placements were arranged.
In addition, Morgan Sindall created £78m worth of social value, held 59 community events and created 57 new jobs. The firm also carried out a trial of cargo bike deliveries to reduce carbon emissions – the first contractor in London to do so – making use of the cycle super-highway adjacent to the project.
This dedicated approach to community enrichment resulted in Morgan Sindall and the Hackney Britannia scheme winning the Delivering Social Value accolade at 2021's Building Awards.
Creating a Community Lynchpin Through Leisure
With the new leisure centre, Morgan Sindall and Hackney Council have shown what’s possible when developing public facilities, based on the ambitions of residents.
A fully engaged community, means a facility that is inclusive and works for everyone. Inclusive features include accessible changing areas, two Changing Places facilities, pool pods for wheelchair and ambulant users, a pool with sensory and interactive light features and individual changing rooms.
All of this has led to record numbers of users, with a 10 per cent uplift in borough usage at the centre. There has been a 15 per cent increase in female participation and BAME usage has increased by 10%.
In the long run, it is hoped that the centre will not only bring the community together but will also play a role in a wider integrated health system, supporting the physical and mental wellbeing of the Hackney borough.
Feedback from local politicians is further proof of the centre's positive impact. Cllr Caroline Woodley, Cabinet Member for Families, Parks and Leisure, says:
It's amazing to see so many people using the excellent facilities at the new Britannia Leisure Centre, with bumper visitor numbers showing how popular it is with the local community, and with amenities that make the centre and surrounding park more accessible to all.
We are seeing leisure centres across the country hit hard by both the energy and cost of living crises and are grateful to see membership in Hackney holding up so well. We will continue to offer concessions and work in community partnership to ensure all residents can participate."
And the Mayor of Hackney, Philip Glanville concludes:
After a very difficult few years due to the pandemic, I am so proud we have delivered one of London’s best leisure centres, with absolutely incredible facilities that are affordable and accessible for local people to enjoy.
This hasn’t always been easy, we have had to take risks, find new ways to finance our vision, but thanks to everyone involved we were able to make it happen.
The new Britannia is an embodiment of our ambition to deliver high quality public facilities across Hackney that our residents need and deserve. I hope for generations to come it will help support young and old to improve their health and wellbeing, while bringing fun and joy to all those who use it."