By: Sebastian Morris 7:00 am on April 5, 2020

New renderings offer a look at a seven-story residential building in the University Heights section of The Bronx. The development is located at the corner of West Fordham Road and Loring Place North, and is expected to debut as 140 West Fordham Road, with 2332 Loring Place listed as the secondary address.

Designed by Marin Architects, the structure features an understated masonry faade comprised of gray, brown, and red brick. Within, the building will support 54 rental units averaging approximately 776 square feet apiece.The project team has not released any updates regarding amenity spaces. Additional confirmed components will include a rear yard and enclosed parking area for 27 vehicles.

In total, the building will span 52,465 square feet and will replace a single-story bar and an associated parking lot.

Rendering of 140 West Fordham Road Marin Architects / Stagg Group

Rendering of 140 West Fordham Road Marin Architects / Stagg Group

Jay Martino of the Stagg Group is listed as owner on associated applications for the development. Demolition permits have not been filed with the citys Department of Buildings and it is uncertain when the project will be completed.

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Marin Architects Reveals Residential Building at 140 West Fordham Road in University Heights, The Bronx - New York YIMBY

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LA Mayor Eric Garcetti is helping to expand the nascent #OperationPPE effort. Photo courtesy of USC Architecture Operation PPE.

The American Institute of Architects Los Angeles (AIA |LA) chapter has been asked by Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti to aid the city in its efforts to expand the growing #OperationPPE initiative that has taken root in the city.

Initiated by a team led by University of Southern California (USC) Associate Professor Alvin Huang, #OperationPPE brings together resources and expertise from throughout the USC ecosystem (including its medical and engineering schools) with the productive capabilities of local architecture firms, universities, and other 3D-printing facilities. The effort, which includes contributions from University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Southern California Institute of Architecture (SCI-Arc), and Cal Poly LA Metro architecture programs, has been working around the clock over the last week to manufacture makeshift Personal Protective Equipment for area hospital workers who are on the frontlines of the coronavirus pandemic.

In a daily press briefing last week, Mayor Garcetti expressed his support for #OperationPPE, stating that the city was working with local universities, design schools, and architecture firms to utilize their materials and expertise in the race to produce much-needed protective equipment.

An email sent out by AIA|LA staff over the weekend reads, Mayor Eric Garcettis Officeis ramping up production of pseudo N95 masks and safety shields for area hospitals. The message adds that AIA|LA has been asked by Mayor Garcetti to have potential contributors fill out a survey describing their printing capabilities. See here for the survey.

The message continues: The Mayors program will begin once production for Keck has completed and it will use the same designs as approved by Keck and NIH. But time is critical.PPEs are urgently needed by area hospitals to take care of the people of Los Angeles.

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LA Mayor calls on architects to expand 3D-printed PPE efforts - Archinect

Share Your Work From Home Experience and Join the Remote Architects Club

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With the COVID-19 pandemic forcing many architecture firms to quickly transition into a work from home, designers are having to discover new ways to work without everyone being in the same room. The casual conversations, overheard ideas, and site visits that were once an integral part of our jobs have been put on pause, and have left some architects wondering how everyone else is continuing project work.

Launched just last week, the Remote Architects Club is bringing designers from around the world together and sparking a conversation about how to work from home. This crowd-sourced site provides architects with a singular source of information and tools for support. Not only can architects see how other offices are handling work from home mandates, but also explore a variety of available software and read personal stories from others who have found ways to stay connected in this uncharted territory. Even beyond the end of this pandemic, this platform hopes to continue to serve the greater design community as a means of sharing ideas so that working remotely can become a regular part of architecture practice.

To find more information on how to join the Remote Architects Club, or to share information about your best practices, click here.

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Share Your Work From Home Experience and Join the Remote Architects Club - ArchDaily

Across the country, design communities have mobilized to assist in the effort to fill supply gaps in Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for healthcare workers operating on the front lines of the coronavirus pandemic.

Last week, Archinect reported on efforts at Princeton, Cornell, and Columbia that are coming together to 3D-print visors and face shield harnesses, fabricate hospital gowns, and manufacture other PPE to serve the regions hospitals.

On the west coast, a project inspired by a call to arms from Cornell University Professor Jenny Sabin has sprung up around the University of Southern California (USC). There, multiple campus entities, including the USC School of Architecture, the USC Viterbi School of Engineering, the USC Iovine Young Academy, and theUSC Keck School of Medicine are working to create PPE face masks that come close to meeting N95 standards.

Using a regional network of 3D-printers scattered at participating architecture firms and universities, including University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Southern California Institute of Architecture (SCI-Arc), and Cal Polys LA Metro program, the #OperationPPE effort is fabricating protective gear that could prove pivotal to fighting the virus if existing stocks are depleted and medical workers have to resort to improvised means of protection.

USC Professor Alvin Huang explains: This is what Keck [School of Medicine] has identified as wartime medicine, so we are working on the back-ups to the back-ups.

Working from home offices, school print shops, and firm fabrication facilities, the group has coordinated file sharing and manufacturing initiatives to optimize and perfect the 3D printing files for a N95-like mask meant for last-resort use. The 3D-printed components are designed to snap together and require the addition of a HEPA filter insert and perimeter sealant to properly function. The masks are are a step above using handmade masks and bandanas, Huang writes.

The effort was recently endorsed by Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, who in a recent COVID-19 related televised update announced the Citys support for the #OperationPPE initiative.

In the talk, Garcetti said, Im proud to announce were mobilizing our architecture, design, and manufacturing communities to utilize 3D-printing technologies to aid in the response. Garcetti added that the city was working with local universities, design schools, and architecture firms to utilize their materials and expertise.

Huang tells Archinect that the USC team has support from Gruen Associates, AIA California, and AIALA, which are now providing USCs printing teams with material, including 60 additional spools of PLA, the plastic filament being used to fabricate the masks. Huang adds: We are, however, having difficulty finding sheets of .02"-thick PETG for the face shields, but are trying to source that now.

In addition to Gruen, the effort has received support from a variety of local architecture firms, including:KAA Associates, ARUP, CO Architects, Michael Maltzan Architecture, Brooks + Scarpa, ECM Interactive, HNTB, IBI Group, HGA, KoningEizenberg, Lorcan OHerlihy Architects, Tighe Architecture, and Huangs own firm, Synthesis Design+ Architecture.

Huang writes, Our group is now up to 130+ people with 105+ printers, 3 lasercutters, and 215+ spools of filament. Huang explains that over 80 students are involved in the project.

The designers have published a sign-up sheet for those interested in contributing to the effort. The link includes access to the Keck School of Medicine-approved .stl files that can be used to print the mask components.

The rest is here:
#OperationPPE puts architects to work 3d-printing protective equipment for frontline medical workers - Archinect

With a whopping 33 categories, The Architects Newspapers sixth annual Best of Products Awards is slated to be our best yet. This years new and revamped program offers manufacturers, designers, and brand representation more opportunities to enter.

With a reputation for a smart, informed perspective on architecture and design, The Architects Newspaper applies the same high standards to our awards. This year, our robust jury is composed of 12 leading architects, engineers, construction, design professionals, andAN editors.Entries will be evaluated for innovation, aesthetics, performance, and value.

The Architects Newspapers Best of Products Awards is a much-anticipated event in the AEC and design communitiesyou wont want to miss out.

Independent designers, manufacturers, and brand representatives are invited to submit new products for review by July 23. This year, weve introduced a tiered entry fee structure.Early bird submissions are open until April 30 and regular submissions through July 2.

Winners will be announced online on August 31 and on our social media platforms. Winners will also be featured in our end-of-the-year Best of Design Awards special issue that is circulated to all subscribers. In addition, they will receive a specially designed trophy. One additional Product of the Year award will be announced at our annual AN Design Gala in early 2021. Further details can be found on our awards website.

More here:
The Architect's Newspaper announces its sixth annual Best of Products Awards - The Architect's Newspaper

A group of architects and engineers is working to convert shipping containers into intensive care units to help hospitals that are running low on space for COVID-19 patients.

The open-source project, dubbed Connected Units for Respiratory Ailments (CURA, or Latin for "cure") is harnessing the skills of experts from around the world to develop self-contained, mobile ICUs that can be plugged into hospitals or installed in parking lots.

"At the beginning we had around 100 people working on the design. But since making it public, over 2,000 people actually got interested in the project," Carlo Ratti, CURA co-founder and director of MIT's Senseable City Lab, told Day 6 host Brent Bambury.

Ratti said the first prototype unit, currently under construction in Italy, is nearly complete and is scheduled to be deployed in a hospital in Milan, one of the country's epicentres for the COVID-19 pandemic.

CURA units are designed to be far more than a giant metal box with a couple of beds inside. Each is set up with negative air pressure, creating a "bio-confinement" environment that can restrict the virus from leaving the chamber, Ratti explained.

It's one major advantage over the tent city-like triage centres that hospitals have been setting up to cope with the influx of patients, which Ratti said couldputdoctors and other health-care workers at risk of infection.

"By using containers, we are trying to combine the best of both worlds: having something as quick to deploy as a tent, but also safe to operate as a proper hospital with negative pressure in bio-confinement," he said.

Since the approximately six-metre-long shipping container design is more or less standard around the world, said Ratti, the CURA design should be more or less adaptable around the world.

"I think the most complicated thing is all the mechanical components inside in order to create negative pressure, to do heating and cooling. But once you sorted that out then it's quite easy to produce it," he said.

The medical equipment for two beds in each pod adds up to about $150,000 US ($210,000 Cdn) per container. Ratti said teams in Asia, Europe and the Americas are working on prototypes, and hope the price tag can be reduced if production begins to ramp up.

Federal health officials in Canada said Thursdaythere could bebetween 23,000 and 46,000 ICU admissions over the course of the pandemic, if 2.5 to five per cent of the country's population became infected with COVID-19.

In Ontario one of the provinces hardest hit bythe pandemic modelling releasedApril 3 showedit would need to add an extra 900 intensive care beds to cope with a projected steep rise in COVID-19 patients over the following two weeks.

Ratti hopes that his project will help shift a popular view both among outsiders and some in the profession that architecture is concerned first and foremost with aesthetics and beauty over form and function.

"If, as designers and architects, we keep on looking at you know, just beautifying useless objects, then it's going to be oblivion," he said, channelling a quote from American architect and theorist Buckminster Fuller.

"But if [we] are going to tackle the main challenges that we have today think about climate change; think about, in this case ... the response to the pandemic, but many, many others then architecture and design can really play a central role in our society."

Written by Jonathan Ore. Interview produced by Yamri Taddese.

To hear more,download our podcastor click Listen above.

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Architects and engineers are turning old shipping containers into mobile intensive care units - CBC.ca

For the duration of the coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis, AN will use this column to keep our readers up to date on how the pandemic is affecting architecture and related industries. This weekly article is meant to digest the latest major developments in the crisis and synthesize broader patterns and what they could mean for architecture in the United States. The previous edition of the column can be found here.

While the coronavirus pandemic continues to pummel the entire country, it is hitting certain populations harder than others, particularly black, Latino, and Native American people. The New York Times reported on Wednesday that the CDC released its first national data tracking race among COVID-19 patients, which showed that in March, the percentage of black [hospitalized COVID-19] patients (33 percent) was much higher than the percentage of African-Americans in the population as a whole. Local data from cities and states tracking race among COVID-19 patients showed that the health disparity is even worse in certain areas: In Louisiana, about 70 percent of the people who have died are black, though only a third of that states population is; African-Americans account for72 percent of virus-related fatalities in Chicago, even though they make up a little less than a third of the population, according to the Times; the virus has killed more people in the Navajo nation than in the much larger state of New Mexico; and, as of Thursday,all the people who have died in St. Louis so far from COVID-19 complications have been black.

Why is this the case?

The answer could have something to do with architecture, particularly housing. According to public health experts, while other factors, like implicit bias in healthcare and higher rates of heart disease and diabetes, certainly play a role in the racial coronavirus disparities, crowded housing in low-income neighborhoods could be facilitating the spread of the disease and increasing weathering, or the wear and tear of environmental stresses on the body, which increases the severity of coronavirus cases.

Urban design inequities also almost certainly play a role in transmissioneven with social distancing rules in full effect, subway stations in predominantly black and Latino neighborhoods in the Bronx in New York City are packed with commuting essential workers.

COVID-19 has been a magnifying glass on the weaknesses in our systems, said Kimberly Dowdell, principal at HOK and president of the National Organization for Minority Architects (NOMA). Though racialized housing disparities are nothing new, the stark death toll of the pandemic is harshly illustrating those disparities effects.

Theres a saying that when America sneezes, the black community catches a cold, Dowdell said, pointing to an enormous wealth gap between black and white Americans as one of the main reasons why black people in the U.S. suffer more acutely during crises like the current one.

The Brookings Institution recently reported that in 2016, the net worth of a typical white American family ($171,000) was nearly ten times greater than that of a typical black American family ($17,150). While a variety of discriminatory policies have sowed the seeds for the current imbalance, racist urban planning has played an enormous part. Redlining, which started in the early 20th century and often continues in some form today, is a term for the once-legal practice of denying investments and bank loans to predominantly black neighborhoodsbanks would outline such areas in red on maps. The practice discouraged investment in black-owned homes and businesses, which lost value over generations, resulting in not only a racial wealth gap but spatial disparities, as well. Many predominantly black neighborhoods have fewer grocery stores, are closer to polluting industries, and lack high-quality affordable homes.

Even after the pandemic subsides, vulnerable populations will still be at risk from the next crisis and will potentially be in even a weaker state. One answer, Dowdell said, is for communities to invest in predominantly black and brown neighborhoods to decrease the wealth gap and increase resiliency. That kind of recovery will require a mix of policy, development, and design professionals working together, ideally with teams that reflect the communities theyre serving.

Diverse teams are really important, Dowdell said. Architecture should reflect the communities that they serve form a racial perspective.

Dowdell pointed to Chicago, where she lives, and where Mayor Lori Lightfoot has focused on the citys racialized spatial inequality in her mission to eliminate endemic poverty within a generation.

If theres a team that goes into certain communities, it would be great if there were certain people who were from that community or at least have some level of familiarity with the culture and of the community, Dowdell said. For example, if were looking at the South Side of Chicago [which is over 90 percent African American], and you dont have African-African team members, thats a missed opportunity.

Building teams that reflect underserved neighborhoods could be more difficult after the pandemic, as the economic downturn may be harder on architects who come from those areas.

I do think that black communities are going to have a harder time recovering, Dowdell said. Its going to be a challenge for everyone, but I think that given the wealth gaps, architects of color will probably struggle to get back to where they were.

As jobs, internships, and salaries decline, even if only temporarily, as a result of the pandemic, those without a cushion of family money or who financially support loved ones could have to leave the profession for greener pastures. The racial wealth gap means that black and other minority architects may flee in greater numbers, damaging diversity in a profession that is already overwhelmingly white. As of 2019, only 2 percent of NCARB certificate holders identify as black or African American, and less than 1 percent identify as Latino.

What can architects do? Dowdell touted NOMAs national network as a way for architects of color to support each other and find opportunities, including the groups new NOMA Foundation Fellowship, which offers a stipend and internship for architecture students. NOMA is launching a new weekly web series, Stay All In for NOMA, which will help members stay informed during the pandemic. Dowdell also suggested that architects get involved with local NOMA chapters to organize and advocate for city and state planning policies that invest in underserved neighborhoods. For those already working on projects advancing social justice, NOMA is partnering with the NAACP and the SEED Network advocacy group on the Design Awards for Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (JEDI), which will recognize excellence in those categories.

No matter what, Dowdell said, an architect can do something.

In other corona news from this week, AN covered new hospitals and healthcare spaces deployed for the pandemic, and the AIAs new assessment tool for adapting existing buildings into coronavirus treatment sites. The crisis continues to demand innovative thinking, and in Florida, autonomous vehicles are delivering medical supplies. For the housebound, we also highlighted many exhibitions you can check out from home, including robot-assisted gallery tours, a French show exploring AI and architecture, virtual Frank Lloyd Wright tours, and a virtual exhibit on a balmy shore. We picked some picks to catch up on, too.

Enjoy, and be well!

See the original post here:
How architecture is exacerbating the coronavirus crisis for minorities and black Americans - The Architect's Newspaper

in a rural area of northamptonshire in the UK, will gamble architects has completed a sensitive extension to a grade 2 listed victorian house. the project makes use of a disused cattle shed and the ruins of a former parchment factory and scheduled monument. using a selection of honest materials, the new intervention is inserted into the remaining traces of the structures, blending the past and present together in one symbiotic relationship.

all images johan dehlin

the clients initial brief was to convert the cattle shed and demolish the factory ruins to make way for a new extension. rather than viewing it as a constraint, will gamble architects saw the ruin as a positive asset and instead proposed a building within a building where two lightweight volumes could be delicately inserted within the masonry walls in order to preserve and celebrate it.

a palette of honest materials was chosen both internally and externally which references the sites history and the surrounding rural context. externally, corten steel, oak, and reclaimed brick has been used. the extension was built out of upcycled materials predominantly found on site which was both cost effective and sustainable, while allowing the proposal to sensitively blend into its surroundings.

internally the structural beams of the existing cattle shed were exposed as well as the steelwork to the new parts the stone walls were re-pointed and washed in lime to create a mottled effect and a concrete plinth was cast along the base to create a monolithic skirting. a contemporary kitchen (also designed by will gamble architects) juxtaposes the uneven and disordered nature of the ruin and continues the theme of a modern intervention set within a historic context.

project info:

project name: the parchment works house

project type: residential

location: northamptonshire, UK

architect: will gamble architects

duration: 2017 2019

photography: johan dehlin

designboom has received this project from our DIY submissions feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readershere.

edited by: lynne myers | designboom

Read more here:
will gamble architects inserts a contemporary extension into factory ruins in the UK - Designboom

THIS is traditionally the biggest DIY weekend of the year as people take advantage of the Easter bank holidays.

As we will be spending it in lockdown, there has rarely been a better time to tackle those household jobs that have been niggling at us.

Charlie White bought a dilapidated Victorian cottage in 2010 and set up his YouTube channel to film his projects.

His easy-to-follow videos showing simple home fixes have had 19million views.

Charlie says: Ive always found DIY empowering, but right now it has the added dimension of keeping us occupied, fit and healthy.

But he advises readers to be careful the last thing the NHS needs is a rush of DIY injuries.

Here, Charlie reveals some of the easiest jobs to be tackled and gives each a rating out of four, with four being the most difficult.

In addition to a large bucket, washing up liquid and rags, invest in a squeegee.

An easy solution is to add a squirt of washing up liquid to the bucket of water.

Use a large sponge for scrubbing and finish with a squeegee.

For the inside windows and shower screens, a Karcher window vac is fabulous for sucking up soap residue.

RATING: 1/4

Magic sponges are made from melamine foam, and when slightly moistened they work like really fine sandpaper and are much more effective at getting rid of marks such as crayon, felt tips, pencils, scratches and grease than your typical household wipes or cloths soaked in detergent.

But dont use them on high gloss or varnished surfaces.

Remember, non-vinyl based contract matt emulsions are not hard-wearing and will quickly wipe away so approach these with caution.

To use, wet the sponge and gently squeeze it so that it retains water without dripping.

Rub the mark and watch it disappear.

As soon as the stain has gone, stop rubbing, otherwise youll take the paint off.

RATING: 1/4

One of the biggest causes of damp on external walls is gutter problems.

Use a ladder and make sure its secured before climbing up.

Consider getting a ladder stand off (available with click-and-collect from Screwfix) as this stops you leaning the ladder directly against the gutters and provides increased stability.

Balloon leaf guards are a sensible investment as they stop leaves, moss and other large objects going down the drainpipes.

You will need rubber gloves, a garden trowel, a bucket and a small brush. Get stuck in to clear obstructions.

RATING: 3/4

Buy a small bottle of 3-in-1 oil or alternatively spray the door hinges with furniture polish.

Once youve sprayed, open and shut the door a few times and the squeak will be gone.

RATING: 1/4

Clean the furniture with white or methylated spirit. Sand the old surface with sandpaper (120150 grit) and wipe down with a damp cloth.

If your furniture is ornate, you may want to use steel wool to get into the awkward areas.

Put on some rubber gloves and stir the wood stain. Follow the manufacturers instructions on the tin, applying the stain with a sponge, brush or lint-free cloth.

Use smooth movements, following the grain and apply the wood colour evenly.

Leave to dry according to the manufacturers instructions.

RATING: 2/4

You can buy pressure washers online from 50 from a number of retailers including Homebase, Screwfix, Amazon and Argos.

Before you start, clear any debris from the filter and connect any accessories.

Run water through the washer for one minute to prime the system and remove any air.

Squeeze the spray wand trigger to bleed water pressure., then fire away.

Keep an eye on where the waste water sprays on to, though. It can travel even over fences.

RATING: 1/4

Sourcing safely during lockdown

YOU can still order most DIY essentials online, although delivery might be slower. Some retailers offer a click and collect service.

B&Q and WICKES: These have a limited range of stock for click and collect and home delivery.

SCREWFIX: Click and collect for essential orders and home delivery.

HOMEBASE: Limited range of stock for home delivery.

IRONMONGERY DIRECT: Full home delivery service.

LED lights offer an energy-efficient solution for your home.

Bayonet (push and twist) and Edison (screw in) are the two most common types, but if you are in any doubt as to what you need, look for information on the bulb.

Most online retailers offer assistance to help you make the right choice.

RATING: 1/4

Degrease joints with methylated spirit, acetone or CT1 Multisolve spray.

Choose an appropriate silicone (eg. in the bathroom use mould-resistant).

Use a Cramer Fugi 5 silicone profiling tool. Look for the greatest gap and select the smallest profile shape to cover the gap with a 2/3mm overlap each side of the joint.

Cut the silicone nozzle at 90 degrees and push the silicone into the joint. Use the adapter for smooth lines over transverse joints. Work in short sections.

Do the vertical corner joint first. Wait for this to set then do the horizontal joints, working from right to left (or left to right if youre left-handed).

Clean the profiling tool with a paper towel after each short run, and more thoroughly with a wet wipe or cloth when you are finished.

RATING: 4/4

WHAT NOT TO DO WITH SHOWER

PAINTING BOARDS: For most skirting boards, a two-inch (5cm) brush is ideal, or use a mini roller with a simulated mohair roller sleeve for the flat sections.

Degrease the skirting board with sugar soap. Make sure you rinse thoroughly and leave it to dry. Lightly sand the surface using a 120-180 grit sandpaper.

Tape up the edges with masking tape round the edge of the floor. If the floor is carpeted, press the edge of the tape down, ensuring paint doesnt get under the tape.

Start painting, using a durable paint, such as satin or gloss. Cut into the top of the skirting first, applying the paint evenly and working in manageable sections. Leave to dry. Apply a second coat.

Once the second coat is fully dry (about 24 hours) remove the tape.

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FILLING DENTS AND CRACKS IN WALLS: Trim loose paintwork using a Stanley knife. Apply a diluted layer of PVA using a small paint brush.

This gives the section to be repaired the best chance of adhering to the filler.

Fillers such as Gyproc EasiFill are my choice for a repair like this. Youll need to mix with water into a smooth paste and apply with a continental filling knife or similar.

Go over the area several times. For hairline cracks in the paintwork simply make several passes over the crack with the filler knife, removing all residue.

Scrape away any excess filler to minimise sanding but leave the filler a little proud of the repair if you can (if not, dont worry, you can apply a second coat later).

Leave to set for at least 40 minutes or until the filler has dried, showing no damp patches. Sand the filled area gently in a circular motion with 180-grade sandpaper wrapped around a small block of wood.

Ensure that the surface is perfectly smooth before the next step. Check the paint tin to ensure it can be watered down first.

Then apply a watered down coat of emulsion (this is not necessary for filled hairline cracks) using a small roller. Leave to dry.

If you have the original top coat paint for the wall, paint over the repaired paintwork with this, using a small roller. If youre lucky you will be able to spot-paint just the repaired area.

However if the newly painted area is obvious (or if you no longer have the original paint) then you will have to paint the whole wall with a 9inch roller or similar.

RATING: 3/4

Plumber James Lawrence shares tips and advice on his highly entertaining YouTube channel youtube.com/user/plumberparts

RATING: 1/4

Charlie recently revamped his kitchen cabinets at home.

Here is his eight-step guide:

RATING: 3/4

Originally posted here:
Tackle household jobs while in lockdown with 17 simple (and not so simple) home improvement tasks - The Sun

The coronavirus lockdown will enable the revamp of a sports complex to go ahead without disruptingcustomers.

Phase two of the urgent repair and improvement works could mean the Waterfront Leisure Centre, in Woolwich High Street,is fully operational again by the summer and can reopen to the public when families can stop isolating.

The second phase of works forms part of a joint 1.4m investment from GLL and Greenwich council, and will enable the centre to remain open until a new towncentre replacement is completed in five years time.

Phase two will include works to boilers, air handling units and roof repairs, as well as improvements to the changing facilities.

Richard Gallagher, Partnership Manager at GLL, which runs the Better Waterfront Leisure Centre, said: Following an initial period of urgent repairs, we are pleased to be moving into the next phase of improvement works.

These works are critical to ensure that we are able to offer a full pool programme again at Waterfront Leisure Centre as soon as we are permitted to re-open.

Contractors will ensure they strictly follow Public Health Englands social distancing guidelines at all times.

We look forward to welcoming customers back to the pool as soon as we are able to.

Cllr Miranda Williams, Greenwich councils cabinet member for culture, leisureand the third sector, said: This is a difficult time for all of us with Covid-19 affecting all council services, but we are continuing to invest and improve the Waterfront Leisure Centre to make sure we have an up-to-date, safe and fully operational leisure centre while we build the new Woolwich Leisure Centre.

Pictured top: The Waterfront Leisure Centre

Read the original here:
Bosses hope Waterfront Leisure Centre in Woolwich will be open by summer as lockdown allows more works - London News Online