Elm Sports Centre
Simon Ball All-Through School
Following a two-stage tender process, R G Carter was appointed to design and build a new sports centre for Simon Balle All-Through School in Hertford.
Working collaboratively with the design team and the school, R G Carter developed the scheme from RIBA Stage 3 onwards. The project scope included the demolition of two existing buildings and part of the car park to create space for the new facility.
The works comprised the construction of a 700m² single-storey sports hall, featuring a steel-framed structure on pad foundations with a cladding and brick façade. The building accommodates a disabled WC, office, and sports equipment storage. External works included the redesign of the existing car park, the installation of EV charging points, minor landscaping, and all associated statutory and local authority works.
To meet the required design standards, the building was constructed to a height of 7.7m, enabling a range of indoor sports including basketball, badminton, football, and netball.
The facility is naturally ventilated via monodraught systems and includes modern MEP installations, such as air source heat pumps (ASHPs), underfloor heating, and LED lighting.
As the sports hall is located within the operational school boundary, careful planning was required to ensure the school remained fully functional throughout construction. All construction traffic and logistics were tightly managed to minimise disruption and maintain safety for students and staff. The delivery and erection of the steel frame were scheduled during the summer holidays to further reduce impact. Continuous access for school kitchen deliveries was also maintained throughout the works.
In addition, R G Carter worked closely with the school’s Business Manager to deliver a range of student engagement activities, including a ground-breaking ceremony, site tours, and a steel-signing event, helping to connect students with the project and its progress.
(Formally Simon Balle School)
Working with R G Carter was a truly positive experience from start to finish. The relationships between their team, our staff, and the Architects, Saunders Architecture, were excellent, with any issues resolved quickly in a collaborative and constructive way. Site management was handled exceptionally well; we didn’t receive a single complaint from staff or the public.
The quality of our new Sports Centre is outstanding, and we are extremely pleased with the result. R G Carter not only met our expectations but exceeded them with the project completed early, within the agreed budget. We couldn’t be happier with both the process and the outcome.
