WHEN LONDON-BASED ARCHITECTS Duggan Morris were commissioned to create a pool building for Alfriston School in Buckinghamshire, southern England, the result was a geometrical dream in wood. The roof is a concertina-like glulam structure that, as well as being aesthetically stunning, also helps to dampen sound in the pool.
The girls’ school is situated in attractive grounds and the idea of the zigzag roof was to create angles that from the outside melt into the surrounding landscape, while also providing a dramatic experience for the swimmers inside.
The roof was built as 12 individual modules (the first of which was 15 metres long, just over 5 metres high and weighed 1.7 tonnes) and took four weeks to assemble. A glass band 1 metre high separates the roof from the rest of the building, which accentuates the sense of floating, according to the architects.«
