Somerset Road: RIBA Awards Winner
- Category: News
- Date Published: 15th May 2024
- CONTACTS: Jon Roshier, Jess Parulian, Oliver Coleman
We were very pleased to see the AELTC Indoor Tennis Centre (Somerset Road) winning the RIBA London Region Award. The jury unanimously recognised the sheer professionalism required from Hopkins Architects to deliver design of this quality in such a logistically demanding context.
This scheme is part of a wider masterplan for the AELTC’s long-term development, contributing to a more coherent campus with better connectivity, security and parking amenity. Their vision was to construct industry-leading tennis facilities to be enjoyed by members year-round but also for the facilities to play an integral role for the world’s top players during the Championships as well as meeting rigorous ambitions for environmental sustainability.
AELTC Indoor Tennis Centre is a crucial component in the management and upgrade of the facilities the AELTC provides and supports reconfigurations to improve the wider main site.
The scheme provides six new indoor courts, six new external clay courts, a Members’ bar, and changing areas. A double curved roof form, generous daylighting combined with the use of natural materials and elegant detailing are key throughout the project.
The indoor court area an impressive, covered by a column-free timber roof with a graceful, undulating form. This roof’s curve, which reduces the volume without affecting functionality, is a nod to the design of 1980s tennis rackets and echoes the trajectory of a lob shot.
Complementing the timber roof, timber paneling is employed extensively throughout. Ancillary spaces are neatly arranged alongside the covered court area.
