Sports Pavilion at St Albans
Acanthus Clews Architects were appointed to design a replacement Sports Pavilion at St Albans High School for Girls, when the original building was lost to an arson attack. The new facility was officially opened by Sally Gunnell OBE, Olympic, World, Commonwealth and European Gold medallist.
The new building is partially buried into the ground, taking advantage of the natural slope of the site and incorporates both a natural viewing terrace as well as a rooftop vantage point across the Netball and Lacrosse pitches on each side.
The roof-top balustrades were made from Micro-34 grating; the horizontal flat bar fulfilling the architect’s vision for a strong lateral accent. The panels were framed with a 45x5mm flat bar; the posts were made with face plates for wall fixing and top lugs for bolting to a flat bar to carry the wooden handrail.  The steelwork was supplied in a hot-dip galvanized finish.
Ms Gunnell commented “I have never seen anything quite like it before. It is beautiful, a wonderful facility for the young people to enjoy.”
