The Future Use of Morden Hall

Produced by: Emily Rupar13 March 2014

Practical Solutions II Spring Semester

While a domestic property may not seem the ideal location for a fitness centre, the current fitness trends are moving away from the bulky equipment and focusing more on community-based, body weight, and whole body strength training. This fitness cen-tre would not be traditional but will be sympathetic to the exercisers out on their daily run or cycle who stop through to supplement their fitness. Along with the fitness focus, educational classes will be taught on proper exercise routines and ways to live healthier. Relating to the surrounding parkland, this fitness centre would join together the community in supporting and promoting healthy life-styles. There currently exists ample land to run, walk, and cycle on and can only be complemented by a building that provides indoor exercise such as yoga, Pilates and weight training. The fitness centre will work within the layout of the building, removing only the walls that are not original to the building when it was a domestic property. A fitness centre would utilize every corner of the building, which would offer anyone the ability to explore this National Trust property and would encourage him or her to venture into the park, adding value to the site as a National Trust landscape. A fitness centre is an unusual program for a previously domestic property, however this use is about creating a connection between the house and the land as well as establishing a core use for the park.

As the main use of the Morden Hall Park is for recreation and exercise, an indoor space to maximize health would be ideal. As the prominent building on the site and the focal point for the views from the park, Morden Hall should have a steady public access. A more private use could change the perceptions of the park and persuade visitors from visiting. A fitness centre will be a positive ad-dition to the park as well as the community to encourage healthy, active lifestyles, which would also increase the number of visitors. Currently the only fitness centre located in Morden, the Morden Park Pool, provides limited fitness provisions. Using Morden Hall as a fitness centre would create a good balance in Morden with the pool located in the South of Morden.

Map of Morden from Google Maps

Biker on Bridge in Morden Hall

Ground and First Floor Plans

Ground Floor Plan

First Floor Plan

Diagrammes of Significant Spaces

Ground Floor Plan

First Floor Plan

Preservation of the Significant Elements of the Building

Fireplace Detail in

Ceiling Detail in Main StairwellCeiling Detail in G01Cornice and Door Detail in

Wall and Stair Detail in Main StairwellFireplace Detail in 108

Detail of Room Design in G14 Dado Detail in

As a domestic property this house will never again serve a single-family and in fact has much more frequently been used com-mercially. As a historic property a new use can be beneficial and appreciative of it’s past while offering the public constant access. The building has many structural and architectural elements that need to be preserved and the fitness centre will not interfere with these elements. In general, the architectural features such as the fireplaces, windows, dados and cornices will not be engaged in this program. A fitness centre can be seen as entirely reversible as any equipment used is free standing and does not need to be attached to a wall. There are many ways to protect these significant features from stray damage, such as bumping, and it is likely the design team will have many suggestions on appropriate protective measures. It is important not to hide these features, as they are integral in reminding visitors that the building once served the owner of the park and has true historical value. It can be an asset to the National Parks for visitors to be so engaged in the building. The supplemental drawings provided illustrate the walls that can be removed.

Diagrammes of Proposed Public and Private Space

Ground Floor Plan

First Floor Plan

Fitness Centre Benefits

Fitness centres and modes of exercise are inherently flexible as they can range from lifting heavy weights to a small hot yoga class. Spaces can be easily adapted if they are simple rectangles as are the rooms in Morden Hall. Studios for classes will be located in the upstairs rooms along with a nursery for small children. These studios will offer yoga, Pilates, Zumba, and other popular fit-ness classes. The small rooms will maintain a feeling of community, as they will require small class numbers, providing students the opportunity to connect. The rooms also provide a way to separate the different programs that can attend to different visitors. The community feel will be present as the small rooms will be unintimidating as large, open fitness spaces can be, especially for those untrained. There will also be space for education, which can be utilized to promote and teach healthy lifestyles. The ground floor offers a better opportunity to house any needed equipment and weights as well as a healthy snack bar and a shop to sell any fitness equipment a customer may need. These programs will all have a spot in the current layout.

As the table on the left, created by the American Heart Association, shows there are many trends of fitness in the current year that can be provided at Morden Hall. High intensity interval training, body weight training, personal training, fitness programs for older adults, functional fitness, group fitness, yoga, children and exercise for the treatment/prevention of obesity, outdoor activites, and wellness coaching. As these are current trends it is im-portant to embrace these ideas to increase the number of visitors. The outdoor fitness is key as Morden Hall Park already supplies a great variety of these outdoor activites. These activities can be generated at the Hall by offering bike share programs and running/walking clubs. These trends also focus on very specific ages that can help bring a wider variety of visitors into the park as families can encourage each other to become involved. This use is a supplement to the continued outdoor use of the Park. As the Conservation Management Plan states, one of the key management issues for the park is the “lack of visual and physical connectivity between the Hall and the rest of the property.” With a fitness centre centrally located in Morden, people will still venture to the park on days when the weather is poor to get their exer-cise. The entrances will all be utilized so the building will just be an extension of the outside. There will be parking in the current designated parking area that was originally used for the restaurant, but as many current visitors are of the local community, there will be much encouragement to find alternate modes of transportation. The immediate outdoor spaces can also be utilised for any fitness classes. The fitness space hours of operation should be decided by the national park as to whether it should only be ac-cessible during operating hours of the wider park or if it should be open later in the day. This will determine the amount of exterior lighting needed around the area.

Fitness Programs for Older Adults

Children and Exercise for the Treatment/Prevention of

Outdoor Fitness

Yoga

Benefits for the National Trust and Morden Hall Park

The Activity Plan drawn up for Morden Hall Park addresses it’s desire for greater ‘community engagement’. This proposed function will increase the number of visitors to the park, as it was previously stated that they would venture out even on days with bad weather. It will also allow the community to engage in this historic building. Throughout the fitness centre the Trust can post information regarding the buildings previous uses and history of the park. This use will not require any significant changes and will protect the most important architectural ele-ments of the building. This use is also extremely beneficial to the public and will draw many people through its doors and can be especially important for improving the audience of the park and bringing in people of different lifestyles and backgrounds. The National Park is also inter-ested in creating healthy lifestyles for its visitors and there is no more appropriate way then providing a fitness centre. As stated in the Activity Plan, “people’s motivations for visiting the park are predominately for its value as open green space as opposed to its value as National Trust property.” This fitness centre, as it will engage the entire building and can offer education regarding its status as a National Trust property will not only encourage the visitors to lead an active lifestyle and appreciate the green open spaces, it will also offer the chance to engage in a preser-vation property as if it is their own. A plan to develop a fitness centre can benefit many of the strategies laid out in the Conservation Management Plan that was written for Morden Hall Park in 2007. There is the Merton Community Plan wanting safer, stronger and healthier communities that can impact both the older people and the children and young people in the community. The Neighbourhood Renewal Strategy focuses also on quality of life in re-gards to health and community safety as well as social cohesion, economic renewal, and capacity building of residences, which would all benefit from the introduction of a fitness centre. The National Trust “Our Future – join in” Strategy that was presented in the Conservation Management Plan, while set to only 2010 it did aim to look into the future and the total immersion of visitors into the historic property of Morden Hall as its use as a fitness centre would fulfil that strategy. The fitness centre will establish healthy lifestyles and encourage a wider degree of positive en-vironmental impact, it will encourage locals to travel in sustainable ways because of its convenient location, and it will fully immerse visitors in conservation and preservation of the park and its buildings, as they will be able to fully engage the entire space. The largest benefit that the park will receive is a larger, healthier local population as visitors. A fitness centre should offer more than just space for exercise but also education to encourage a wider scope of healthy living. The biggest future detriment to the building and landscape could be the need for more exercise space. If the fitness centre becomes a popular space for the community it could exceed the number of people allowed in the building. This will pose a problem for the immediate landscape as the grounds are protected and will most likely be denied any proposed structure. However, as the parking space is not protected under any building legislation, it could offer supplemental space for the fit-ness centres needs. As for the interior, it would need to be assessed as to what flooring material to use as protection for the original wood floor-ing. This would really only be required in the rooms used for heavy equipment to protect from long-term damage. This flooring can be removed as carpet and the rest of the program is entirely reversible as well. It is also recommended that large-scale mirrors be fastened to the walls in certain rooms for the benefit of the participants – these can be detrimental to the current wall but should not prove irreversible.

Diagrammes of Proposed Public and Private Circulation

Ground Floor Plan

First Floor Plan