Having worked successfully on a number of projects, the group sought advice on building an extension to their existing facility at Brownley Methodist Church to accommodate a Boxing Training gym. The building is located in Benchill, on the Wythenshawe estate, one of the most deprived local authority wards in England. The group set up a gym in the 1990s and further developed it to provide a host of community services getting the community behind local regeneration by involving local families and leaders to make community facilities what they want them to be.
Sketch schemes were developed with the client and input from professional boxing specialists used to produce a full feasibility study, including a supportive preliminary meeting with the area’s Planning Officers.
To fully utilise the height of the 2 storey space, and to reduce overall running costs, the proposals include natural ventilation units and maximises the use of natural light while still respecting the privacy of neighbours adjoining the connecting corridor/gym space. The relatively small power and hot water/heating requirements have also allowed the client to explore the opportunity of using small wind turbines and solar water heating systems via a roof mounted collector.
A number of different build solutions were considered with the client including a self build option as the group have access to building trades within their organisation and they also aim to assist young people with training and skills as part of their programme. A number of sub-consultants were co-ordinated to develop these options to an outline level with cost estimates and timescales for all options so that potential funders could be approached.
This project has started to gain a profile at a national level in both the guardian and the times.
