Lake Ainsworth Sports Hall

Lake Ainsworth Sports Hall was envisaged as a recreation centre that would not require daytime lighting. While glass houses like the London Crystal Palace provided inspiration, climate control in such buildings presented a technical challenge.

This high-performance building, devoid of detail, emerged from an understanding of its high temperature, low diurnal range, sub-tropical microclimate. Under the soft dawn light or the setting sun this environmentally sensitive design proves that architecture can be both functional and poetic.

Michael Heenan, CEO, AJC

The use of ‘heat stop’ cellular polycarbonate sheeting floods the building with light, while only a small quantity of solar heat can pass through. Low-level louvres and high-level wind turbines cool and ventilate the sports hall.

Imaginative illumination at dusk, the translucent surface of the Lake Ainsworth Sports Hall reflects the setting sun, and at night, when the building becomes a theatre, it glows like a lantern in the landscape.