Riverside Leisure Centre, Chelmsford

We are proud to have been specified extensively throughout the Kier Construction Eastern developed Riverside Leisure Centre in Chelmsford, Essex. The £40m centre represents the council’s biggest ever single investment, and employs ground-breaking sustainable innovations which will deliver a greener legacy for the community to enjoy for many years.

BREEAM dream

Our ceilings, largely supplied by CCF Colchester, help balance the thermal mass energy saving benefit at the centre, which has been awarded a ‘very good’ BREEAM sustainability rating due to its energy efficient design. The centre also utilises a combined heat and power system to generate its own electricity, supplying hot water for the pool, showers, taps and heating. Smart sensors monitor the weather to control heating and LED lights turn off automatically when the room is empty.

A sound swimming experience

Optimised for swimming pool acoustics, the new swim complex comprises a 25m pool with moveable floor, a teaching pool, toddler-friendly sensory splash zone and fun pool with flume. As part of the overall design architects Pick Everard wanted vibrant coloured feature walls on three sides here.

Colin Watson of Central Essex Interiors, “We recommended Rockfon Scholar and Rockfon Color-All wall panels in blue and white. The product not only met the design brief in terms of colour and design aesthetics but, importantly, fulfilled the fire protection and acoustic requirements while embodying great anti-corrosive and moisture resistance characteristics. Everyone is really happy with the final result, which looks stunning”.

Creating a welcoming environment

It was vital to provide a welcoming environment with optimum sound control within the centre’s spacious reception foyer which sees up to 20,000 visitors pass through each week. Specially trained contractors, Pacy & Wheatley, installed our innovative Rockfon Mono Acoustic monolithic ceiling  system to the ceiling and walls. Although it has a smooth, seamless surface, it can also provide highest class A sound absorption, to help combat excess noise in this large and busy open space.

Rockfon Eclipse Islands

Within the new stylish café and the gymnasium halls it was decided to exploit the space created by the roof height. Pick Everard Architectural Assistant George Young, “We wanted to make a feature of the height of the space rather than install a traditional suspended ceiling. A decision was taken to use ceiling islands to create a real design feature, whilst providing the desired acoustic properties. Rectangular Rockfon Eclipse Islands were specified in a simple, stylish, linear pattern to lower the ceilings and obscure the view of the mechanical services behind, creating a modern industrial vibe.”

The complete solution

Elsewhere throughout the Riverside Leisure Centre, Rockfon Koral ceiling tiles were specified. With its attractive white, wipe clean surface, Koral offers sound absorption (Class A), fire safety (Class A1), and can be installed with semiconcealed and visible grid options. All our ceiling and wall solutions are made from stone wool, which is derived from naturally occurring diabase rock. Our products provide no sustenance to harmful microorganisms, helping to control the spread of bacteria and germs, and create healthy happy places for people to enjoy.

Rockfon System T24 ECR (Enhanced Corrosive Resistant) grid was used throughout The Riverside. Coupled with Rockfon dimensionally stable ceiling tiles, the complete tile and grid system is highly suitable for humid environments where corrosion resistance (Class D), longevity and safety are key factors.

Our team represent many year’s experience and knowledge in supplying the perfect solutions for the diverse demands of modern multi-use buildings where asthetics, fire safety and superior sound control are key. Get in touch to see how we can help ensure your next project realises its ambitions.