BSP Consulting

It will be the first facility locally to welcome significant swimming galas, competitions and events, presenting new opportunities with swim instructors qualified to ‘Swim England’ standard.

A consortium, including BSP Consulting, was appointed to design and build both the new Leisure and Enterprise Centres on the same site in Nottinghamshire.

The adjacent Bingham Enterprise Centre provides twelve self-contained office lets for small and growing businesses, over two floors’ with the potential to create up to 90 jobs courtesy of part-funding from D2N2 Local Enterprise Partnership and support from Bingham Town Council.

BSP Consulting provided civil and structural engineering services for both schemes.

All will produce far lower levels of carbon, including 78% carbon emission reduction compared to other leisure Centres in the borough and 82% lower carbon for similar office developments.

Efficient building materials, air source heat pumps, combined heat and power technology, water efficiency measures, LED lighting and photovoltaic panels on the office roof also feature.

The project has been managed on behalf of the Council by Henry Riley LLP, co-ordinating the design team, YMD Boon architects, ESP mechanical and electrical engineers and ourselves as civil and structural engineers.

Chris Donachie, partner at Henry Riley said: “This has been a fantastic project to be involved with and a scheme we are very proud to deliver for the community of Bingham.

“The project success has been driven by constant collaboration between the Council, Design Team of YMD Boon, BSP and ESP stakeholders and now Wilmott Dixon as the delivery contractor.

The project team carried out a low-carbon technologies assessment to identify the most suitable renewable energy sources. There are PV solar panels on the roof and combined heat and power (CHP) engines power the pool. Other measures include air source heat pumps, water efficiency measures and LED lighting.

The 25m Myrtha Pool also utilises a steel-frame; swapping concrete for steel reduces greenhouse gas emissions by 45%!

Key challenges and engineering solutions

The proprietary steel pool structure was constructed within an outer concrete tank. The project was complicated by the presence of a high water table. Long glulam beams span over the main pool area.

The gymnasium is suspended over the learner pool using a long span pseudo vierendeel truss. There is complex acoustic attenuation between functional areas.

BSP Consulting also provided engineering services for Chase Leisure Centre in Cannock, for more information about the scheme take a look here:

Chase Leisure Centre, Cannock