Brixton Recreation Centre, London.

• Project: Brixton Recreation Centre – Decoupling & MEP Upgrade Works
• End User: London Borough of Lambeth
• Project Type: Public leisure facility – retrofit and infrastructure upgrade
• RIBA Stage: Developed design ‘Stage 4’

Eteria was appointed to develop the detailed Stage 4 MEP design for the decoupling and MEP upgrade of Brixton Recreation Centre for the London Borough of Lambeth.

The brief was to decarbonise the domestic hot water with the introduction of air source heat pumps and replace the life expired domestic water plant. The works included for the replacement of the old gas fired boilers and the relocation of the boiler plantroom.

The project involved upgrading complex building services within a heavily used public leisure centre that needed to remain operational throughout the works. The existing heating and hot water systems required careful decoupling and phasing to avoid service disruption.

Plant space was constrained, and new equipment had to be integrated alongside retained systems within a tightly managed service yard. As a publicly funded project, the design had to balance carbon reduction within a tightly controlled capital cost expenditure.

The scheme also had to meet stringent accessibility, safety and inclusive design requirements, while future-proofing services for a minimum 25-year design life. Coordination across disciplines was critical to ensure that new MEP systems, controls and monitoring could be delivered in a practical manner to mitigate complications that could lead to prolonged disruption and programme.