October Revision 001 1 © Sport England 2012

FacilityCase Study

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

Creating a sporting habit for life

Arc Leisure Matlock was developed as a landmark sport, leisure and tourist attraction in the Peak District. It is a key component of the ‘Derbyshire Dales Central Corridor Regeneration Initiative’ which includes a wide range of linked projects that are intended to have a major impact on the region’s economic growth. The initiative aims to create over 600 new jobs and reclaim over 30 hectares of brownfield land by 2015.

The leisure centre has an 8-lane competition swimming pool with a movable floor, poolside competitor seating and over 200 spectator seats. In addition, there is a 13 x 7 m learner pool with a separate ‘introduction to water’ area including fun and play features. Other ‘dry’ facilities include 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 with 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.

October Revision 001 2 © Sport England 2012

FacilityCase Study

Arc Leisure Matlock offers affordable and accessible sports and leisure activities: it attracts 10,000 users per week and encourages healthy living in a modern facility.

The sympathetic design of Arc Leisure Matlock secured a crucial grant from the East Midland’s Development Agency. 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.

The building 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.

The sub-structure and building design had to respond to a number of technical challenges including the environmentally diverse and sloping nature of the site. The efficient building form reduced the cut and fill required and the pool construction was located on the lower part of the chosen plateau. A collaborative and innovative team approach was led by the Civil and Geotechnical Engineers and involved the Principal Contractor in the identification of the most beneficial datum level.

No soil was exported off site which achieved significant value engineering savings and led to Arc Leisure Matlock winning the ‘Most Sustainable Remediation Project 2010’ award.

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.

October 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 %

Increased useCompared to Matlock Lido which the new building replaced, the usage has increased by an average of 300% with a projected 500,000 users per annum. Fitness subscriptions have increased from 145 to approximately 800. This has exceeded the business case expectations and the centre has established itself at the heart of the local and regional community.

Building Design The centre has a simple, rational floor plan to suit the terraced site and is positioned to retain an ecological corridor 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 and the views from the A6.

The entrance, via a bridge link to the first floor level, has a distinctive north facing glazed elevation that 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 is a key design feature in 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.

AccessibilityThe 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 centre has a high percentage of senior users and users with disabilities.

The swimming pool has flexibility to meet public demand. One half has a movable floor to assist programming with different user groups such as young children and exercise classes. When the floor is in the raised position, swimming lessons can still take place across the pool width.

October 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

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:

Specific Items of InterestElement Approximate

area (m2) Water

area ratioTotal water area 540

Pool hall area 939 1: 1.74Wet changing toilets and showers 360 1: 0.67Pool equipment store 37 1: 0.07Combined area of pool hall, wet changing and storage 1336 1: 2.48

Spectator seating (220 seats + wheelchair zones) 152Café / reception / server space 232Public / spectator WC’s 61Fitness suites / dance studios 384Dry change 151Sports hall 782Sports hall equipment stores 101