Willmott Dixon awarded pioneering Passivhaus leisure centre in Spelthorne

Willmott Dixon has been appointed by Spelthorne Borough Council to deliver a Passivhaus leisure centre that aims to be one of the most advanced, energy efficient leisure facilities in the world.It will be the first wet and dry leisure centre to achieve the Passivhaus standard in Greater London, and will be designed to consume up to 70% less energy compared with a standard new building, optimising natural daylight and integrating photovoltaic panels to generate energy from renewable sources.When complete, the centre will include an eight lane 25m main pool, learner pool, splash pad and spa. Further sports facilities include a 6-court sports hall, three squash courts, 950 square metres of fitness space, two studios, one spin studio and a multi-use room which combines to create two further badminton courts.There will also be an open plan café and reception space, along with a roof terrace overlooking four small-sided 3G football pitches.The project will utilise Willmott Dixon’s Passivhaus expertise, which has seen the company deliver the UK’s first Passivhaus ‘Plus’ primary school, Hackbridge Primary School, and the UK’s largest Passivhaus secondary school, Harris Academy, both in Sutton. It also completed the George Davies Centre for University of Leicester in 2015, another major Passivhaus building.Spelthorne Leisure Centre marks the latest ultra-energy efficient, future-climate ready building by Willmott Dixon, which under its Now or Never sustainability strategy aims to be net zero carbon by 2030. It is also delivering a net-zero carbon retirement living village at Millfield Green for Inspired Villages, as well as ‘Halo’, the company’s second BREEAM ‘Outstanding’ certified office for Cubex in Bristol.