RISE Design Studio has secured planning approval to redevelop Sutton Churches Tennis Club in the London Borough of Sutton, delivering a next-generation community sports facility that sets a new benchmark for grassroots sports infrastructure in the UK. The scheme was approved with the full support of the council.
Across the country, community clubs are operating from ageing, inefficient and inaccessible buildings. RISE’s scheme for Sutton Churches Tennis Club offers more than a replacement clubhouse. It demonstrates how these facilities can be reimagined through low-carbon construction, inclusive design and high-performance building standards. By combining mass timber, prefabrication and Passivhaus-informed design aligned with the AECB CarbonLite New Build standard within a community-focused brief, the project establishes a replicable model for the future of local sport.
The approval marks a significant milestone for RISE Design Studio. It reflects the practice’s expansion into community sporting infrastructure and reinforces its belief that thoughtful, sustainable architecture has a role to play at every scale. Not only in homes and cultural buildings, but also in the everyday spaces where people come together to socialise and be active.
The existing clubhouse, now in a dilapidated condition and no longer viable, will be demolished and replaced with a contemporary, low-energy pavilion designed to grow with the club and serve its community for generations. The approved scheme delivers a new single-storey clubhouse with enlarged clubroom, upgraded changing facilities, accessible WCs and integrated storage.
Structurally, the building represents a significant step forward for its typology. A hybrid mass timber structure, combining cross-laminated timber walls with glulam roof elements, reduces embodied carbon while enabling efficient off-site fabrication and rapid assembly on site. High levels of insulation, airtight construction, mechanical ventilation with heat recovery, air source heat pumps and rooftop photovoltaic panels will create a building that is both environmentally responsible and cost-effective to operate. The project is targeting AECB CarbonLite New Build Certification, underscoring its commitment to rigorous energy performance. This is a critical consideration for community-led organisations working within limited budgets.
Accessibility is embedded from the outset rather than added as an afterthought. By lowering the ground floor to align with the surrounding landscape, the design achieves step-free access throughout, ensuring the facility is genuinely welcoming to all.
The building sits lightly within its setting as a low-profile pavilion with a restrained palette of timber, metal and glass. Vertical timber cladding softens its mass, while a standing seam metal roof with a generous overhang provides shelter and shading. A vibrant red roof finish references the tiled roofs of the surrounding homes, and a central linear rooflight reduces reliance on artificial lighting.
The site is organised through a linear zoning strategy into three distinct areas: a western recreational landscape, a central social hub and an eastern service block. The clubroom sits at the heart of the plan, oriented northwards to frame views across the tennis courts and maintain a strong visual connection to the sport. To the east, the ancillary block acts as a discreet acoustic buffer for neighbouring residents, with high-level windows maintaining privacy without compromising daylight.
For sports clubs, community organisations and local authorities exploring how to upgrade ageing facilities without compromising design quality or environmental performance, RISE Design Studio is available for consultation. Works at Sutton Churches Tennis Club are expected to commence in early 2027.
Imran Jahn, Design Director, RISE Design Studio, said:
“We wanted the new clubhouse to be a genuinely beautiful building as much as a high-performing one. Beautiful architecture should be accessible to all, not reserved for a select few. Community facilities deserve the same attention to proportion, materiality and light as any other piece of architecture. This project is about creating a place people are proud of, one that elevates the everyday experience of being at the club.”
Jose Dengra, Senior Architect, RISE Design Studio, said:
“A key part of the project has been coordinating a building that meets high environmental and accessibility standards while responding carefully to its context. By resolving structure, services and layout early on in the design process, we have ensured the scheme is efficient to build, sustainable, and well integrated into the surrounding urban fabric.”
Jackie Halls, New Clubhouse Committee, Sutton Churches Tennis Club, said:
“Our old clubhouse has become a real barrier and is holding the club back. RISE has designed something that will welcome everyone, players, families and the wider community for decades to come. The new clubhouse will be fully accessible, sustainable and fit for the future, while also being a beautifully designed building that reflects the ambitions of the club. We hope it will stand as an exemplar for what a modern community focused clubhouse can be. We can’t wait to get started on the build!”
Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
