Romford Ice Cube

This project in North London was an exceptionally tight squeeze to physically fit the client’s brief onto the available site in Romford.

In fact, the client’s brief for a ‘standard’ size 60m x 30m ice rink with 800 spectator seats simply wouldn’t fit—the site was too narrow. Instead, a slightly smaller ‘standard’ ice pad size of 56m x 26m was designed to accommodate the space constraints.

These core elements alone filled the site, leaving no room for the rest of the client’s brief, which included:

• A six-lane, 25m swimming pool with associated changing areas.

• Poolside sauna and steam rooms.

• A large fitness gym.

• An entrance hall and café.

The architectural solution was to stack the facilities vertically, making the most of the limited footprint.

• Ground Floor – Entrance area, café, swimming pool, changing rooms, and plant equipment.

• First Floor – A wrap-around fitness suite, creating a double-height void over the pool.

• Upper Level – Ice rink and spectator seating, benefitting from natural daylight—an unusual feature, as most ice rinks are typically designed as ‘blind boxes’.

The entire building was conceived as a shimmering and fractured ice cube, symbolizing the different states of water—ice, liquid, and steam.

Clad in translucent polycarbonate sheeting in various shades of watery blues, the façade provides tantalizing glimpses of the leisure activities within, enhancing the building’s visual appeal.