The concept for this building came about as a response to a number of issues, including a shortage of sports changing rooms and spectator facilities, as well as the opportunities offered by the acquisition of land for sports fields to the west of the site. The client had an existing planning approval for a single storey maintenance shed on the site, which had been obtained prior to purchase of the land to the west of the school. Following the subsequent conversion of the land to playing fields, the site changed from being hidden at the edge of the school to a prominent site at the centre of the school’s playing fields. An opportunity was identified to create a state-of-the-art sports pavilion with changing rooms, spectator facilities and social space. Analysis of the site established that the drop in level between the site and the adjacent all-weather pitches, was sufficient to enable maximizing the potential of the site by digging the sports changing room element of the design into the ground, leaving the upper level free to provide much needed sheltered sports viewing space. This more than doubled the space of the original planning approval. The upper element is designed as a glazed pavilion, offering both shelter for spectators and a perfect vantage point for viewing sports on the surrounding pitches. The building is designed to respond to the horizontal nature of the surrounding landscape and merge into it. It is a testament of the success of this approach that, despite its size, when viewed from Strawberry Hill (a critical consideration at planning), the building is almost invisible. The pavilion was shortlisted for ‘Best Educational Building’ in the West of England LABC Building Excellence Awards 2016.