Jack's award-winning designs give leisure centre a revamp

BA (Hons) Interior Design student Jack Jarvis grew up in Bracknell and spent many hours at his local leisure centre. For his final major project, Jack reimagined the leisure centre, focusing on sustainable solutions and design for health and wellbeing. His designs impressed the Society of British and International Design (SBID) - who awarded him a special recognition for Overall Interior Design Project.

We asked Jack to tell us more about his project, and why he chose the leisure centre as his subject.

Tell us a bit about your final project.

My aim was to enhance the building to not only make its appearance better, but also so it had an improved impact on the environment. I achieved this by sourcing local and sustainable materials and made sure that the building used natural energy by designing with lots of glass and using solar panels, ventilation and green rooves. Furthermore, I wanted to give guests a greater experience when using the centre, due to its current facilities feeling old and in need of attention. This meant that health and wellbeing was a main focus throughout the design.

What was the inspiration behind your project?

When I was younger, I used to attend the centre regularly. As I have grown up and started to appreciate the designs of buildings more, I wanted to put back into a building that gave me a love of sport.

What have you enjoyed most about your time at Solent?

Without question, the people! From the first year through to my third year, I have met people who I can call friends for life, and have shared lots of fantastic memories with all of them along the way.

What's next on the cards for you? 

Currently, I am looking to find a job within the industry and have been applying in lots of places, not just the UK. Ultimately, I would like to travel before I settle down into a professional job.

Please share any advice you have for other students or potential students.

Enjoy it! Your time at Solent will fly by before you know it, so try not to find yourself stressing out at any point over work.

Start applying for any job or work experience you can get early on - even unpaid - as it will really help, not only with gaining a good job in the future, but also to help improve the skills you're learning while at university.