Woolwich Waves shortlisted for an AJ100 Award

Woolwich Waves has been shortlisted by the AJ100 judges for the 2026 'Community Impact of the Year' award. This category celebrates projects that demonstrate both engagement with the local community and an exceptional outcome for all stakeholders.

Commissioned by the Royal Borough of Greenwich and opened at the beginning of the year, Woolwich Waves represents the borough’s most significant investment in a leisure centre in more than a decade. It has been created as an inclusive destination offering swimming, sport and social spaces.

Woolwich Waves rethinks the leisure centre as a civic and community asset, not simply a sports building. The project addresses a fundamental challenge: how to create a public facility that actively reduces barriers to participation, improves health outcomes and reflects the needs of a diverse community. The project adopted a co-creation approach, working closely with disability and dementia groups, the Sikh community and Unheard Voice charity. The outcome is a highly accessible centre with pools, sports and fitness spaces, and family-focused amenities arranged in a compact, stacked form. This approach has maximised the public realm and forges a direct link with the neighbouring Tramshed Youth Theatre.

Since opening, Woolwich Waves has seen daily visits reach up to 4,000 and membership demand increase by 40% within the first 10 weeks compared to the previous facility. It also achieved BREEAM Outstanding at design stage, marking its environmental performance alongside social value.

Congratulations to fellow shortlisted projects: Stockroom by AEW Architects, The Rob Burrow Centre for Motor Neurone Disease by Corstorphine & Wright and The Circular Kitchen by Stride Treglown. The winner will be announced in June during the AJ100 Gala Lunch.