Architect completes work on Chamberlin Powell and Bon building

Cartwright Pickard has finished refurbishing the grade II-listed Golden Lane Estate Leisure Centre in the City of London.

The facility sits at the heart of the Golden Lane Housing Estate designed by Chamberlin Powell and Bon in 1963 and contains the only public pool in the Square Mile.

A key aim of the refurbishment, which linked two separate buildings, was to encourage greater use of the leisure centre to improve its viability.

The scheme, which also addressed insulation problems, involved the refurbishment of the pool, badminton court and changing rooms, inserted a new gym and dance studio and created a new reception area and circulation routes. 

Cartwright Pickard studied the original design and removed interventions that deviated from Chamberlin Powell and Bon’s vision.

For example, the transparency of the pool enclosure was reinstated and the distinctive concrete vaults of the club rooms retained.

James Pickard, director of Cartwright Pickard, said: “It has been an honour to work on such an architectural icon. We have done our best to sensitively refurbish the building, helping the council to reduce running costs and bringing the facility up to modern standards so that it can continue to be a central part of the estate for years to come.”