Alfriston School is a secondary day and boarding school for girls in Buckinghamshire, UK. The project involved the construction of a new 750m2 swimming pool and sports department. The building has a floating timber roof, which houses a four-lane swimming pool and changing areas.
The structural challenges included realising the complex geometries in the roof while maintaining an open soffit. A system of panels was developed using cross-laminated timber boarding fixed to glued laminated beams. The roof panels act as the structural elements spanning the swimming pool and provide stability.
直径较小的steel columns were designed to act as cantilevers from the reinforced-concrete retaining walls, transferring the vertical and horizontal loads from the roof structure. This method eliminates any cross-bracing and minimises the visual structure, giving the appearance of a floating roof.