Reiach & Hall Architects’ Oriam national sports facility at Heriot Watt University

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Ioana Marinescu

Oriam, Scotland’s national sports performance centre, is located within the campus of Heriot Watt University at the western edge of Edinburgh. It is connected to two existing buildings, one used by a professional football club and the other a newly refurbished 1970s sports building.

Reiach & Hall Architects’ search for a memorable image for the building led to Brazilian footballer Roberto Carlos’ celebrated long-range free-kick against France in the 1997 Confederations Cup. Researchers at the École Polytechnique in Paris analysed the ball’s trajectory, finding it followed the path of an equiangular spiral. This spiral provided the template for the roof curvature. An armature of curved primary and secondary steel enhances the shape, combining simple geometric elements in a new way to create an unusual form.

The steel-framed building is clad with composite insulated panels, uPVC and thermoplastics. The structural floors are concrete, and ceilings and floors are plasterboard and perforated metal. The use of insulated multi-walled polycarbonate cladding provides controlled daylight while achieving higher insulation values than possible with glazing. Importantly, it is also highly reflective, which helps the building to sit comfortably within its woodland context.

The indoor pitch, with a volume of 232,000 cubic metres, is unheated and entirely naturally ventilated. High-level vents run across the gables and lower-level vents run the length of the sides where the roof meets the walls. The games hall, which encloses a volume of 21,000 cubic metres, is ventilated through openable rooflights that run along its length.

Enhanced insulation thicknesses were installed over large areas of the building to balance the thermal performance, with the desire to introduce large areas of windows throughout. Low-energy light fittings and LED lighting are fitted throughout, as are extensive occupancy-led control and operation (PIRs).

The use of translucent cladding and roofing materials to the indoor pitch hall means that for most of the year no artificial lighting is required during daylight hours. The fitness suite has windows running full length and a translucent polycarbonate end wall that admits light into the first-floor dining area. Four lines of rooflights running the length of the games hall provide good daylight, and even the changing rooms have natural light and views from clerestory windows above the benches.

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