Urban Leisure Centre Part 2 Project 2023 Thomas Hardy University of East London London | UK The project is in Woolwich in South-East London, an area with currently high levels of deprivation and a substantial lack of opportunities for play in public spaces.The scheme is a redesign of the currently proposed leisure centre. Instead of a single disconnected building, the proposal is a new urban quarter with four distinct urban blocks and pedestrian passages that connect some of Woolwich’s hidden green spaces to the central General Gordon Square. The urban blocks allow the program to be organized into typologies that are relatable, integrating a preexisting music and dance theatre called The Tramshed.The new leisure center aims to generate a playful and active public realm focusing on having smaller activities and interactive elements built into footpaths and facades. Internally the building continues a focus of active public realms with breakout spaces built into walls in key areas. For example, there are children’s play areas, climbing walls, cafes, multi-purpose sport halls and new open air performance spaces as well as smaller independent shops and exercise spaces.Overall, the project understands the city as a much richer and more diverse public realm. With the scheme, play becomes a civic form of life that elevates and brings people of all ages together in a more convivial and collaborative way. Tutor(s) Tony Fretton Christopher Hadrys Uwe Schmidt-Hess