Knaresborough Leisure & Wellness Centre.

This new build centre was originally commissioned by Harrogate Borough Council and is now part of a wider £47.9 million leisure transformation project by the newly Combined North Yorkshire Council. Investment has also delivered an extensive refurbishment of The Harrogate Hydro – rebranded the Harrogate Leisure and Wellness Centre, which creates a network of modern, sustainable leisure and wellness hubs designed to serve the community for many years to come.

The new Knaresborough Leisure & Wellness Centre delivers a range of wet and dry facilities for all ages to enjoy.

The new Leisure and Wellness Centre delivers a range of wet and dry facilities for all ages to enjoy. In addition to a six-lane 25-metre pool, complete with pool pod, a leisure pool with flume and a 60-station fitness suite, there is also a sauna and steam room, a group fitness studio, an immersive group cycling studio and a café.

Outside, a children’s play area constructed from natural materials has been designed to blend in with the surroundings. Electric car charge points and bicycle storage have also been added to encourage sustainable travel.

To achieve the building’s impressive BREAAM ‘Excellent’ rating, a fabric-first approach to the building design was adopted, and utilised the energy hierarchy was utilised; Be Lean, Be Clean, Be Green, to eliminate energy need and minimise energy use. A number of architectural and building fabric measures (passive design) plus energy efficient services (active design) have been incorporated, including:

• 2 high efficiency air source heat pumps
• 100 380W roof-mounted photovoltaic (solar) panels providing an estimated yield of 32,452 kWh per annum
• Low SPF ventilation plant and high efficiency inverter drives
• Building management system
• LED lighting throughout with high lumen circuit watt values
• Smart lighting control