#2 Braywick Leisure Centre – Wates and JPJ Installations with Kawneer
The curtain walling and vertical Brise Soleil at Braywick Leisure Centre combined with the sweeping roof creates a dramatic entrance to this major leisure development. Located at the heart of Maidenhead’s largest public open space, what sets this design apart from more conventional leisure centres, is its relationship with its parkland setting.
On approach, the first-floor curtain walling façade spans vertically the whole width of the front of the building providing a shop window to the large 200 station fitness suite. This creates a dynamic active frontage, which allows its visitors to benefit from panoramic views of the parkland beyond.
With all the facilities of a traditional leisure centre, plus a theatre, meeting rooms and an artisan café. It opened in September 2020 to widespread acclaim, being built on fully sustainable principles. Although larger than the old Magnet Leisure Centre, which it replaces, the new centres eco-friendly approach now uses 70% less energy. (Source Wates construction)
Creating an atmosphere that engenders a sense of well-being for Visitors was fundamental, with a focus on quality of light, that only a curtain walling system could provide, it floods the building with warm Southern light, creating a distinctly bright, open, and airy environment, which reduces the reliance on artificial lighting sources. Natural light stimulates essential biological functions and is vital to our health.
The Kawneer curtain walling incorporated solar reflective glass and polycarbonate panels at high level to further reduce solar gain. Its thermal performance in combination with the Brize Soleil, helps to regulate heating and cooling, this is valuable in terms of sustainable design but also saves money over the lifecycle of the build, paramount in Leisure design.
A successful and admired build, and a destination for the community. Attendance is now well in excess of pre-pandemic levels at the previous facility!