Water Activity Centre
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Paul Riddle (website) Download Original
Base for water sports and education activities in Whitlingham Country Park, located at the head of the Great Broad adjacent to the River Yare
The building formed part of an ongoing development strategy to enhance Whitlingham Country Park's educational and recreational potential. The Centre came about through a continuous dialogue between Norfolk Country Council Education Department/ Youth Services and the architect as there was no defined brief at the project's inception.
The building consists of a timber deck surrounded by individual timber cabins which provide support facilities for staff and participants. The simple prefabricated timber cabins are insulated, ventilated and heated according to their particular function.
Due to the nature of the site the cabins were constructed with the repetition of similar elements to enable prefabrication and mass production techniques to be employed. A lightweight PTFE structural fabric canopy roof is used offering solar and wind shelter.
Data
- Begun: Oct 2004
- Completed: 2005
- Floor area: 312m2
- Sector: Sports and leisure
- Total cost: £1.6M
- Funding: Sport England, The Lottery Fund and Norfolk County Council
- Tender date: Jun 2004
- Procurement: JCT 1998 Standard form of building contract with quantities incorporating amendments 1-5 and CDPS
- Address: Whitlingham Outdoor Education Centre, Whitlingham Country Park, Trowse, Norwich, NR14 8TR, United Kingdom
Professional Team
- Architect: Snell Associates Architects
- Project architects: Chris Crombie, Helena Cameron, Maitena Miniou, Manfred Cheng, Robin Snell, Wolfgang Hochmuth
- Client: Norfolk County Council Education Department
- Mineral Gravel Company: Lafarge
- Land Agent: Savills
- Masterplanner and landscape architect : Land Use Consultants
- Engineer: Fulcrum Consulting/ WW
- Cost consultant: Davis Langdon
- Access consultant: Andrew Walker Architects
- Project manager: Norfolk Property Services
- Planning supervisor: Davis Langdon Planning Supervisors
- Main contractor: Jackson Building Services
Suppliers
- Fabric canopy and steel structure: Architen Landrell
- Timber cabins: Constructional Timber
- Timber decking/ cabin fit-out: M and S Contractors
- Screw anchors: Screwfast Foundations