Comprising a 25-m pool and fourcourt sports hall, plus changing rooms, ancillary spaces and spectator seating, the Eton Sports & Aquatics Centre fulfils multiple purposes, including hosting exams and both competitive and community swimming.

Tucked away within a historic setting, and encircled by a planted bund (made from earth excavated for the original pool), the new building maintains a magical feeling of seclusion within a hidden garden.

Soaring, expressed glulam columns and beams – spanning across the widths of the two spaces – are encapsulated by an external shell of brickwork to create a contemporary visual identity grounded in Eton’s traditions of craftsmanship.

Designed by Hopkins Architects, the building utilises highly accurate prefabrication techniques and features a simple form that allows its construction and craft to come to the fore. A fully glazed elevation unites the interior with the surrounding landscape, while an independently expressed structural envelope gives legibility to the building’s design and engineering.

Responding to the sensitive conditions of its location within the Eton Conservation Area and the Metropolitan Green Belt, the mass of the building has been partially sunken into the ground, allowing its roofscape to sit below tree level.

The facility has been carefully designed for full accessibility and includes features such an adjustable-depth swimming pool floor, providing shallow water for infant lessons, and a high-spec mechanism enabling pool access for those with specific physical requirements. A green roof has been planted over the sports hall, while the swimming pool roof hosts an array of PVs.