Oaklands College – High Performance Pavillion

Located within the campus’s established Sports Zone, it brings together gym, studio and support spaces in a cohesive building designed around both practical and theory-based learning. Developed in close collaboration with college staff, the pavilion enables a wide range of sports provision while supporting community use and elite academy pathways.

The Sports Pavilion forms part of the wider redevelopment of Oaklands College’s St Albans campus, a long-term masterplan that will transform an evolving and fragmented estate into a coherent and future-focused learning environment. Historically developed as a collection of buildings set within a former estate, the campus has grown incrementally, resulting in facilities of varying quality and limited connectivity. 

The masterplan will rationalise this arrangement by introducing new, purpose-built facilities organised around a clear spatial structure, improving legibility, movement and student experience across the site. Within this, the Sports Pavilion plays a key role in consolidating and enhancing the eastern Sports Zone, supporting the college’s ambition to strengthen its sports provision while contributing to a more balanced and integrated campus. 

The design focuses on flexibility and clarity, creating a building that supports a wide range of physical and educational activities. The gym combines practical training space with teaching functionality, incorporating Olympic lifting bays, weight benches, running machines and a central free weights area alongside space for seminar-style learning. 

A separate studio provides a highly adaptable environment for activities such as dance, spin classes and group exercise. Supporting spaces, including therapy and first aid rooms, changing facilities and secure storage, are arranged to ensure efficient operation and a clear user experience.

The overall layout allows spaces to be used independently or in combination, supporting both structured teaching and informal use.