Watford Woodside Leisure Centre
The renovation and extension of Woodside Leisure Centre is a low-energy exemplar of leisure facilities, normally known to be energy-intensive. The design principles are lean and green: demand is reduced through passive and best-practice measures before energy is provided from low/zero carbon sources.
Energy demand for the pool is reduced by a combination of a rooflight, high-efficiency heat recovery ventilation, optimum relative humidity control and a system to transfer heat from backwash water to the pool water. Throughout the rest of the centre best-practice measures include demand-led CO2 ventilation to the air-conditioned gyms and passive infrared and photocell lighting. The result is a lean building with no compromise to occupant comfort.
140m2 of flat panel solar collectors are located on the existing roof. The heat collected is used to pre-heat the domestic hot water and for the low temperature space heating.
Low grade heat is recovered from the building services that would otherwise have been wasted. Heat is also collected from the ground and sun. This heat is then used, in turn, to pre-heat the domestic hot water and for the low temperature space heating.
Shower water is collected into a holding tank and pumped through a waste water heat exchanger to recover heat.
The main pool hall was extended from the existing building structure. Low infiltration rates where targeted and achieved for this critical space.
Watford Woodside Leisure Centre is one project in our continuing story of nearly 50 years of delivering sports and leisure buildings.