Set in the heart of Pontefract Park, Aspire@ThePark includes a 100 station gym and multi-use studio, a 10-lane 25m swimming pool, climbing zone, café and full size 3G football pitch. 

The scheme was designed by GT3 Architects following in-depth consultations with local sports clubs, residents, and community groups to ensure the building met the needs of the community – and constructed by Willmott Dixon for Wakefield Council.

The project was part funded by Sport England and had to meet detailed criteria around their Strategic Outcoming Planning Guidance aspirations.

“This scheme presented a great opportunity to create a long-standing legacy for Wakefield, Pontefract, and the surrounding areas. From schematics to completion, we employed our Community+ service to ensure that the scheme broke the traditional mould for leisure centres and offered something different through design,” said Mark Gowdridge, director at GT3 Architects.

The design, which utilised a natural palette to blend the building into its surrounding, features a complex curved façade comprised of vertical timber panels. Curved windows provide varying levels of visibility for different areas of the facility and connect the space, creating a focal point for social interaction.