St. Sidwell’s Point

Opening in April 2022, St Sidwell’s Point in Exeter will be the UK’s first Passivhaus leisure centre, and amongst only a handful worldwide. The landmark building was designed with the specific goal of reducing energy consumption and is expected to achieve 50-70% savings on annual energy costs compared to a conventional leisure centre.

Based in a large community, the new facilities are anticipated to receive half a million visitors a year, more than doubling the reach of the previous leisure centre on the same site.

Innovative approaches including a non-standard water filtration system will mean the pool’s users enjoy exceptional water quality with minimal chemical content, unlike any other pool in the country. Water consumption will be around half that used by a conventional site, and building biology design principles have been incorporated to create an uplifting and healthy interior.

The design and construction has carefully considered future impacts and has been modelled to perform in future climate conditions up to 2080. The building will create a focal point within Exeter’s broader green initiatives, offering a demonstrable example of what can be achieved with vision and high quality construction, to create inspiring community spaces.