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by Imran Jahn on Sep 15, 2025
Every so often, a project arrives that is more than a building. At Sutton Churches Tennis Club, the new clubhouse is conceived as a striking pavilion — an ambitious piece of architecture that redefines how a community experiences sport, spectatorship, and togetherness. This is not only a place to store rackets or grab a drink; it is a building designed to lift the life of the club and set a benchmark for community sports facilities in London.
The distinctive roof canopy of Sutton Churches Tennis Clubhouse creates a welcoming terrace, reinforcing its role as a social heart for the club community.
A Pavilion Rooted in its Setting
The clubhouse sits comfortably within the landscape, lowered into its site to create a subtle sense of arrival from Gander Green Lane. This grounding gesture makes the building feel part of its surroundings, connecting naturally to the courts while offering a clear and welcoming presence to members and visitors alike.
Constructed in cross-laminated timber (CLT) for efficiency and precision, the pavilion showcases contemporary timber engineering while enabling a fast and robust build. The design is also aligned with the AECB CarbonLite New Build standard, ensuring excellent energy performance, low running costs, and long-term comfort for users.
A generous overhanging roof canopy defines an ‘external room’ — a shaded, semi-outdoor threshold where members can gather before or after play. More than shelter, this space creates a natural extension of the club’s social life, reinforcing the idea that tennis is as much about community as it is about competition.
The Social Heart of the Club
Inside, the plan balances practicality with delight. Service spaces are discreetly arranged to one side, keeping circulation clear and efficient. The Clubroom opens directly to the courts through high-performance glazing, transforming it into a theatre of activity and conversation. From here, matches can be enjoyed in comfort, celebrations can spill out across the courts, and quiet moments can unfold with uninterrupted views of the game.
The timber-lined clubroom at Sutton Churches Tennis Clubhouse, designed by RISE Design Studio, opens directly onto the courts, creating a bright social hub for players and spectators
Architecture as Spectatorship
Tennis is never only about performance — it is about shared experience. The new clubhouse acknowledges this truth by shaping spaces for watching and gathering. Spectator seating and shaded external areas align with Court 1, enabling play and spectatorship to overlap naturally.
This move is architectural as much as cultural: the pavilion is designed not simply as a backdrop but as a stage for belonging, a place where sport and community meet.
View of the new Sutton Churches Tennis Clubhouse with integrated solar panels, a sustainable pavilion that blends contemporary design with community sports facilities.
Striking Design, Practical Delivery
Ambition is matched by buildability. CLT provides speed, strength, and sustainability, while the high-performance glazing system ensures natural light, acoustic comfort, and thermal efficiency. Together, these elements deliver a building that feels modern and aspirational yet is practical and enduring.
Meeting the AECB CarbonLite New Build standard demonstrates a commitment to technical excellence. It means the clubhouse is not just visually striking but also carefully engineered to be energy efficient, healthy, and cost-effective to operate.
The clubhouse’s overhanging roof forms a shaded terrace, providing a semi-outdoor gathering space for members to relax before or after matches.
A Clubhouse Rooted in its Context
Set within the green setting of Sutton Churches Tennis Club, the new pavilion engages directly with its landscape. The raised form creates clear sightlines to the courts while the overhanging roof provides shelter that feels both intimate and expansive. Materials are chosen with care: CLT for structure, glazing for openness, and robust finishes that withstand heavy use without compromising elegance.
The architecture is contemporary but also timeless in spirit, designed to endure alongside the traditions of the club. In this way, the new clubhouse becomes not just a facility but a civic marker — a point of pride for members and a welcoming invitation to visitors.
The new pavilion sits alongside the red courts, designed to enhance the experience of both players and spectators at Sutton Churches Tennis Club.
Looking Ahead
The project is currently at design stage and will be submitted for planning approval. If approval is granted, construction is projected to begin in 2026 with completion within a year. The design balances ambition with deliverability, aiming to provide members with a new clubhouse that is both grounded in place and ambitious in vision.
Why It Matters
The Sutton Churches Tennis Clubhouse is more than a replacement structure. It is a statement of intent: that architecture can bring people together, elevating play and strengthening community spirit. The building embraces its role as a theatre for matches, a hub for social life, and a landmark for the neighbourhood.
☉ Building for the future is never straightforward. But with projects like this, it becomes possible to glimpse a world where architecture enriches both play and people.
Building for the Future with RISE
At RISE Design Studio, we see projects like Sutton Churches Tennis Club as opportunities to shape how communities live, gather, and play. Designed to meet the AECB CarbonLite New Build standard, the new clubhouse is both a legacy and a model: a pavilion that balances performance with presence, practicality with ambition, and architecture with the lived experience of sport.
Thinking about reimagining your own community building or sports pavilion?
→ Email us at architects@risedesignstudio.co.uk
→ Or call the studio on 020 3947 5886
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