Great Missenden Lawn Tennis Club has transformed its outdated clubhouse into a state-of-the-art facility with a spectacular ground floor viewing platform overlooking the courts.
Architect Andrew Reed, from Kenneth W Reed & Associates, was appointed to bring the club’s vision to life.
A contemporary and unique building was designed to give the club identity, with views across all the courts, an additional members’ room and terrace; setting it apart from its competition.
Completed in 2013, the modern triangular-shaped clubhouse now replaces the old fashion timber-framed pavilion and comprises of two glass-paneled bi-folding doors spanning a total of 28.8sqm. The glass walls along each side of the club are ideal for viewing the tennis outside.
The spectacular clubhouse opens up on either side, creating a seamless transition from the clubhouse to the outside terraces, while extending the size and use of the space when required. The inclusion of bi-folding doors, supplied by Origin, was essential in the design brief of the building.
The bi-fold doors create what is known as a ‘third-space‘ doubling the size of the room when open, letting in a considerable amount of natural daylight and creating an inside space where members and visitors can both socialise and watch all the action on the courts.
The triangular site allocated for the build, tightly positioned between courts, meant a limited area was available for the building. The additional space created by the bi-folding doors has therefore been paramount to the functionality of the clubhouse.
While initial plans for the building included a second floor viewing gallery, the use of bi-folding doors meant this was not necessary, as the large expansion of glass allows views around the clubhouse onto adjacent courts from the ground floor. This has saved the club the considerable cost of an upstairs viewing platform.
Origin, an award-winning manufacturer of aluminium folding sliding doors based in High Wycombe, donated the bi-folding doors and windows for the project. Origin is committed to giving back to the local community and offered the generous donation to help the club inspire a new generation of tennis players.
Andrew Rasmussen, a member of the tennis club and project manager for the build, comments: “We wanted doors that looked good, performed well and allowed members and visitors to look out over the courts. Origin bi-folding doors ticked all the boxes and we’re extremely grateful to Origin for donating the bi-folding doors.”
With the help of the Lawn Tennis Association and Sport England, the club has not only invested in a new clubhouse, but also built three new synthetic clay courts for play all year round, as well as retaining four grass courts in addition to acrylic and other hard courts, to encourage a new generation of players, retain members and compete with other modern clubs in the region.
Andrew Rasmussen adds: “Our Chairman Andrew Smith has considerably helped the vision of the committee after witnessing the success of a number of clubs that have invested in their facilities. The modern design generated by the Origin bifolds will help the club thrive by encouraging new members and their families to use our facilities, not just to come and watch matches, but also to use the venue to host events that will bring further activity and revenue into the club.”
A 6 door set, which opens up the club room to a terrace overlooking the new synthetic clay courts, was fitted in an aperture of 5695mm with each door leaf measuring 909mm wide by a standard height of 1999mm. An 8 door set opens up the west side of the building to a terrace overlooking the existing grass courts. This was installed into a 7782mm aperture with each door measuring approximately 932mm by 1993mm. The aluminium doors were powder-coated in RAL 9007M, to complement the cladding.
The Great Missenden Lawn Tennis Club in Buckinghamshire is a remote site, which means security is a vital aspect of the design. Origin bi-fold doors incorporate the very latest in door security and include a tough Magnum lock security cylinder combined with a unique eight-point locking system. Solid cast Yale security handles also provide the highest level of security to protect against all forms of physical attack.
The new clubhouse includes a number of environmentally friendly innovations and uses sustainable materials, including LED lighting and underfloor heating, to ensure a high level of energy efficiency. The building is designed with a flat roof and parapet so that photo voltaic panels, or solar panels, can be installed in the future; thus allowing the first floor and terrace to be incorporated onto the building at a later stage if required.
As well as being environmentally sustainable and economical, the building has been designed to complement its surroundings in an area of outstanding natural beauty. The exterior of the building has been painted green to blend with the adjoining courts and countryside, while cedar wood has been chosen for the timber exterior, which will turn silver/grey over time.
Inside, the compact yet functional clubhouse includes a main club room with a kitchen, bar and storage, plus a wide screen television. The entrance hall leads to an office for club coach/staff, additional storage rooms and modern changing rooms and showers for members.
The club hopes members will use the new facility as a space to socialise and relax, as Andrew Rasmussen explains: “We‘ve turned the clubhouse into a great building where members can come to unwind after a game of tennis, bring their friends and family for a drink or simply come to watch the latest sport on our flat screen TV. The reaction from existing members has been fantastic. The project has exceeded our expectations and we have no doubt that this will act as an incentive for potential new members to join the club.
“Andy Murray’s success at Wimbledon has already given us a boost this year and we hope that the new modern clubhouse will continue to increase revenue, while encouraging the next generation of British tennis players.”