Situated at the centre of Kingham Hill School’s beautiful campus in Kingham, this sporting facility delivers dedicated physical education teaching facilities which include a full size four court sports hall, squash court, and a 7.5m high climbing wall.
Six changing rooms are split across two floors connecting the building with the adjacent upper playing fields and lower multi-use games areas, while a social / events space at first floor overlooks the sports hall, promoting a community use.
At the centre of a campus steeped with historical importance, integrating a large format sports building was a challenge. Utilising the site contours, more than 20,000 tonnes of soil was excavated to recess the building into the embankment separating the upper and lower playing surfaces, and minimising the visual impact of the sports hall to the rear.
Now screened, the architecture of the sports hall is utilitarian, thus cost effective, allowing for greater investment in higher quality materials to the principle facades. The primary elevation and building entrance takes architectural cues from the site vernacular, maintaining a similar scale to nearby properties, while creating its own identity as a Sporting Centre.
