Edgbaston Cricket School

The initial brief suggested that a uniform lighting level  of around 1200 lux was needed over the playing surface. In the design of the MCC  building a number of roof solutions were considered including a translucent roof that, with 24% translucency, would produce the right lighting levels. However variable sky conditions could not be effectively controlled and the designers and their clients were concerned about batsmen being unable to see cricket balls speeding towards them in excess of 100 mph. Consequently, the tried and trusted northlight solution was implemented. Commonly used in factories built between the wars, the concept uses light from the diffuse part of the sky as it is easier to control. The partially glazed roof negates the requirement for artificial light under all but the gloomiest of circumstances. The overall structural solution has been designed around this key function of the roof.

The choice of a pre-finished steel roof, combined with the northlighting allowed the seamless integration of these two fundamental portions of the roof using Colorcoat HPS200® in white as the roof was an obvious choice continuing the cricket metaphor and providing best guaranteed performance. The use of bright white lining enamel on the internal face of the roofing allowed for improved reflectivity of both natural and artificial light.

Even though using only northlight, further control to diffuse the light levels and even them out across the interior was necessary. Fireproof sculpted fabric blinds are used for this purpose. A canvas with good shape forming characteristics was selected, and these diffusers are suspended from the roof and each runs the length of the building. These elements also make a vital contribution to the acoustic environment, which would otherwise be excessively reverberant. Critically, Morley has continued to develop this manipulation of the building envelope to optimize internal conditions in a number of indoor sports facilities demonstrating the versatility of the pre-finished steel.