Corby East Midlands International Pool

Wlllmott Dixon carried out a JCI design and build contract to demolish the old Corby Pool and replace It with a multipurpose leisure complex that was named Corby East Midlands International Pool. This is a cornerstone to Corby's wider regeneration and features in London 2012's Olympic and Paralympic Pre-Games Training Camp Guide.

The pool caters for major swimming competitions and the leisure customers. Facilities include:

• 50 metre pool, with moveable floors and booms to provide a flexible space
• capacity for holding international junior diving events, plus short and long course races
• 196 seat spectator gallery
• 20 metre four lane learner pool
• 63 metre aquatube body rode
• health suite with sauna
• steam and spa pool
• fitness suite with gym.

"This was not a straightforward project - the swimming pool incorporates many innovative features - and with novelty comes complexity and potentially complication. However we always had confidence In their ability to overcome any unforeseen problems and the site management of this project was exemplary. The site was well run, tidy and had a very good health and safety record."

Peter Griggs, Mead of Special Projects, Corby Borough Council

Successes

• The client calls it "a world class facility" and was impressed with the successful delivery in the face of challenges such as site access conditions and a highly distinctive design that features an 80 metre arched roof using glulam timber beams.
• The team worked with all parties to value engineer a saving of £1.2 million from the preliminary cost mainly by revising the specifications such as changing the roofing from zinc to kalzlp and changing external cedar wood panels to heat treated pine.
• The pool ls fully complaint with International competition standards set by the ASA and Is a regional centre of excellence for the development of swimmers.
• BREEAM very good and B energy rating for the Display Energy Certificate.

Sustainable achievements

• All wood used including glue laminated sections and exterior timber cladding was sourced from managed, sustainable forests.
• A large tarmac car park on site was ripped up and recycled for pilling mat.
• Old concrete was reused as hardcore material.
  

Awards

Government Business Awards

Corby won the Regeneration Project Award for the Parkland Gateway project (which includes Corby East Midlands International Pool)

Environmental Best Practice

The Parkland Gateway won this Green Apple Award for the environmental sensitivity of the new buildings.

Client of the Year

Corby Borough Council and North Northants Development
Company won this East Midlands Regional Construction Award for driving best practice at Corby East Midlands lnternational Pool.

Public Building of the Year

The Corby East Midlands International Pool beat off stiff competition to win this award at the Insider East Midlands Property Awards.

"The Corby Pool is now setting a new standard of design for competitive swimming, offering the finest training and competition facilities and is visually breathtaking."

Mark Foster, Olympic swimmer