Morse Webb Architects was commissioned, alongside other projects at Wellington College Prep School, to explore options for replacing the school’s ageing swimming pool. An initial strategic study considered a number of locations across the campus before developing proposals on the site of the existing pool.

The new building will provide the school with a modern, fit-for-purpose 25m swimming pool, together with new changing facilities and a dedicated Wellbeing Hub supporting pupils’ emotional and physical wellbeing. The building has been carefully integrated with the school’s established pedestrian routes, connecting the new facilities with the wider academic and sporting campus.

The site’s sensitive woodland setting and distinctive topography have been central to the design. Located alongside a Local Nature Reserve and protected woodland, the building is carefully set into the existing slope, reducing its apparent scale within the landscape. Its gently rising asymmetric roof follows the natural topography of the site, culminating in a softly curved ridge that gives the larger pool volume a calm, landscape-led form.

The surrounding landscape has been treated as both a constraint and an opportunity, informing the building’s form, material character and strong connections to nature. These relationships are particularly important to the Wellbeing Hub, where views and access to the woodland help create a calm and restorative environment.

Targeting BREEAM Excellent, the building adopts a sustainable, fabric-first approach. An expressed glulam structure and warm copper-toned finishes draw inspiration from the colours, textures and vertical rhythm of the surrounding woodland, helping the building sit naturally within its setting.