July Revision 001 1 © Sport England 2012

FacilityCase Study

ARC LEISURE MATLOCKMATLOCK, EAST MIDLANDS, DERBYSHIRE Status: Completed 2011Client: Derbyshire Dales District CouncilValue: £9.7m

FacilityCase Study

Creating a sporting habit for life

Arc Leisure Matlock was developed as an innovative and exciting new sport, leisure and tourist attraction in the Peak District.

The new centre is a key component of the Derbyshire Dales Central Corridor Regeneration Initiative, which includes a wide range of linked projects that will have a major impact on the region’s economic growth. The initiative is looking to create over 600 new jobs and reclaim over 30 hectares of brownfield land by 2015.

The leisure centre consists of an 8-lane competition swimming pool with a movable floor, poolside competitor seating, over 200 spectator seats and a 13 x 7 m learner pool with a separate ‘introduction to water’ area including fun and play features. On the dry side, Arc Leisure Matlock has a 4-court sports hall, 50 station fitness suite, exercise studio and café.

Extensive public consultation led to a self sufficient Community Room being added to the brief that has its own direct access, catering and toilet facilities. This Community Room operates independently but can also be hired out by the leisure centre. During Christmas 2011, the Community Room was used for a church service demonstrating its flexibility.

July Revision 001 2 © Sport England 2012

FacilityCase Study

Arc Leisure Matlock attracts 10,000 users per week. The centre enables affordable participation in sports and activities encouraging healthy living in a facility that is modern and accessible.

Arc Leisure Matlock is constructed on a former Council landfill site, previously called the Dimple. The site was originally a shallow V-shaped valley that was almost completely filled in with tipped material between 1955 and the mid 1970’s. The sub-structure and building design had to respond to numerous challenges in respect to the environmentally diverse and sloping site. The sympathetic design secured a crucial grant from the East Midland’s Development Agency.

The efficient building design reduces the cut and fill required on the site. The pool construction, for example, was located on the lower part of the chosen plateau. The innovation came from a collaborative team approach, led by the Civil and Geotechnical Engineers with the Principal Contractor identifying the most beneficial datum level. No soil was exported off site enabling significant value engineering savings on the regenerated site. It also led to Arc Leisure Matlock winning the ‘Most Sustainable Remediation Project 2010’ award.

The centre’s striking west elevation offers views over the Derbyshire Dales and is clad with a ‘Derbyshire’ dry stone feature wall constructed from reclaimed stonework.

Significant challenges to the budget included the site remediation works, building a podium car park level to make the site levels work and the sub-structure having to be supported by 550 piles. However, the project was still delivered for £2,317 / m2. Once site abnormals are extracted from the costs, the project was delivered for £2,065 / m2.

July Revision 001 3 © Sport England 2012

FacilityCase Study

General Accommodation / StandardsSports hall The 4 court sports hall with 7.9 m clear height accommodates

badminton (club level), netball (county level) , basketball, volleyball, 5-a-side football, indoor hockey, trampolining and indoor cricket. Other activities accommodated to community / club level include short tennis, handball, goal-ball, rhythmic gymnastics, short-mat bowls and martial arts. A viewing gallery and dedicated storage are provided.

Exercise studio

Provision for at least 50 users in a 4.5 m high column free space with a sprung floor and privacy / blackout blinds.

Fitness suite

50 stations, including cardiovascular and resistance types, with a further 30 m2 for free weights, X-bikes, stretching and core work. The sprung timber floor and services are designed to provide a flexible, rewirable space to suit alternative future equipment layouts.

Pool The 8-lane pool tank, 25.01 m (includes timing pads) x 17.00 m and 2.00 m consistent depth, features a movable floor (0 - 2.00 m depth range) with a flap system across the pool width. An elevated spectator viewing area is provided.

Learner pool

13.00 x 7.00 m for learner / warm-up pool with depth ranging from 0.70 - 0.90 m. There is also a separate ‘beach effect’ confidence water / fun pool element.

Changing areas

Dedicated wet and dry side facilities. The wet side changing is a changing village whilst the dry side is single sex.

Community room

Managed by an independent Community Group with dedicated use and independent access for meetings, training courses and community activities with dedicated toilet and mini-kitchen facilities.

Café Accommodates 40 seats adjacent to the entrance area and IT hub / information desk, serving ‘light bites’. A small back room preparation area with storage and waste disposal facilities are provided.

Offices The management team office is located near the reception.

First aid room Access is directly off the pool hall.

Reception Open reception adjoining the café with clear views outside.

Outdoor facilities

3 no. remediated football pitches. Bike wash facility.

Schedule of AreasGross Site Area 80,530 m2 (includes Arc

site and football pitches)

Building Footprint Area 3,060 m2

Gross Floor Area (all floors) 4,170 m2 - internal

Circulation Area % of Building Footprint Area (inclusive of foyer and reception)

14 %

Usage, compared to Matlock Lido it replaced, has increased by an average of 300% with 500,000 projected users per annum. Fitness subscriptions have increased from 145 to approximately 800. Usage has exceeded the business case expectations and the centre has established itself at the heart of the local and regional community.

Building Design and Accessibility

The centre has a simple, rational floor plan to suit the terraced brownfield site and is positioned to retain ecological corridors screening the leisure centre from nearby residential housing estates. This allowed a greater proportion of the limited budget to be spent on the key north and west elevations. The building was sited to be prominent from the West (A6 to Matlock) with car parking located to the rear.

Entered from the East (rear) car parks via a bridge link to the first floor level entrance, the distinctive north facing glazed elevation maximises light into the reception, café and pool hall whilst limiting glare. These key social spaces have been prominently positioned to establish active and vibrant spaces with a private sector ambience. The entrance space provides a visual link to the pool hall with access to the fitness suite, dance studio and spectator seating gallery.

The steel frame was identified as a key feature of the building design to the pool hall. The beams are manufactured in a single length to span over 30 m. A feature staircase provides access down to the ground floor changing village, group changing facilities and sports hall. The centre has a high percentage of senior users and users with disabilities. The design reflects best practice for inclusive design and it is one of the first public buildings in the region to offer a ‘Changing Places’ facility.

The swimming pool is flexible to meet public demand. One half has a movable floor to assist programming with different users, children and exercise classes. While the floor is raised, swimming can still take place across the pool width.

July Revision 001 4 © Sport England 2012

FacilityCase Study

“

”

Procurement / ProgrammeTender Single stage OJEU restricted

procedure

Contract JCT Design and Build Contract 2005 Revision 1 2007

Duration 3 years from inception to completion in August 2011

Environmental Sustainability• BREEAM Very Good

• Combined Heat and Power plant

• Solar thermal

• Heat recovery on pool hall ventilation plant

• Rainwater recycling.

Summary of Elemental CostsElement Total Cost (£) Cost (£) per m2

1 Substructure 925,000 2222 Superstructure 1,735,000 4163 Finishes 528,000 1274 Fittings and furnishings 314,000 755 Services 2,562,000 614

Site remediation 296,000 716 External works 1,295,000 3117 Preliminaries 1,086,000 260

Provisional sums 145,000 358 Contingencies 400,000 969 Fees 376,000 90

TOTAL CONTRACT SUM 9,662,000 2,317

Specific Items of InterestElement Area (m2)

Sports hall 880

Pool hall 990

Dry change 170

Wet change 330

Community facility 108

Reception, office 115

Staff room 15

Café, café preparation 117

Meeting room 26

Control room 18

Fitness suite 233

Minor hall / dance studio 146

Spectator gallery 102

Utilities / stores 90

Plant rooms 272

General Description of Key Specifications and MaterialsFrame SteelCladding Kingspan panels, brickwork and render Roofing Standing seam aluminiumInternal walls and partitions Blockwork and metal stud partition systemInternal doors Encapsulated for pool environmentsWall finishes Plasterboard and painted blockworkFloor Sprung timber flooring, vinyl, tiled and carpetSwimming pool Reinforced waterproof concreteLighting Lux levels Type

Pool hall 300 Metal halide up-lightingSports hall 150 – 500 Dimmable fluorescent with scene

setting controlExercise studio 300 – 400 Dimmable fluorescent

Fitness suite 300 – 400 Dimmable fluorescent

Notes:1. Costs stated are rounded and based on 2nd Quarter 2009.2. Costs do not include any land acquisition costs.3. The fees shown are for the novated design team only.

All photographs provided by Dyer Architects 2011Click here for ‘User Guide’ Click here for current ‘Design and Cost Guidance’www.sportengland.org/facilities__planning/design_and_cost_guidance/user_guide.aspx http://www.sportengland.org/facilities__planning/design_and_cost_guidance.aspx

...with just 280 days to go until the start of the London 2012 Olympic Games, it is a privilege to formally open such an impressive leisure centre which is helping to deliver the Olympic Legacy for the Derbyshire Dales and wider East Midlands community...

Lord Sebastian Coe KBE officially opened Arc Leisure Matlock on 21st October 2011 by saying: