Max Fordham is appointed to the team revitalising the iconic Crystal Palace National Sports Centre
An important community asset, and at the centre of five boroughs in Southeast London, the sports centre has played a major role in supporting the health, leisure, community and sport of Greater London and the wider UK for six decades.
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Designed by Norman Engleback for London County Council and built in 1964, the innovative and elegant concrete structure supports an internal spine, separating the pool from dry sports areas and features floor to roof glazing. At the time, it housed one of the first 50m pools in England. The centre has hosted the Women’s FA Cup Final, Grand Prix motor racing and high-level sporting events in swimming, diving and athletics.
However, the modernist building has fallen into disrepair and the main pools have been closed since 2020. As part of Mayor of London Sadiq Khan and the Greater London Authority’s vision, the once beloved Crystal Palace Sports Centre will be redeveloped with an investment of £130m, upgrading and restoring it to a state-of-the-art and environmentally responsible centre of excellence for sport.
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"I won a bronze medal at Crystal Palace National Sports Centre at the London Youth Games for fencing, aged 12. I am excited to transform and vastly improve its sustainability."
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As a protected building, the Grade II* listed structure will require sensitive interventions and the redevelopment will focus on artfully dividing the pool and dry sporting areas with glass screening, improving ventilation, acoustics and internal environment, transitioning to an all-electric energy strategy, and improving accessibility.
Morgan Sindall is leading the construction, with Faulkner Browns as lead architects, WOO Architects as sports and masterplan specialists, Max Fordham as MEP, acoustic, decarbonisation and sustainability consultants, and Alan Baxter Associates as structural engineers.
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The indoor track and dry areas will be restored as part of the regeneration.
Faulkner Browns/Morgan Sindall
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"I’m a local resident and was born in Bromley. I trained and competed at Crystal Palace National Sports Centre in athletics and swimming so I’m excited to bring it back to being a world-class centre with an elegant, sustainable and future-proofed MEP design."
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Faulkner Browns/Morgan Sindall
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“Crystal Palace National Sports Centre is an historic and much-loved sporting and community facility where many UK sporting stars have started their careers and trained, but which needs major investment and refurbishment.
“I am committed to this once-in-a-generation redevelopment of the site which will secure its future for decades to come.
“With short-term improvements already delivered and Morgan Sindall Construction now appointed to deliver the design and build of the centre, we look forward to working closely with partners and the local community to create an outstanding sporting venue as we work together to build a better, healthy London for all.”