Swimmers looking for a dip this upcoming can now swim assured as a new aquatic centre is picking up the slack on sustainability with new and sustainable facilities at Melbourne’s suburb of Northcote.
Northcote Aquatic Recreation Centre, a fully electric community swimming pool less than eight kilometres from Melbourne CBD officially opened its doors to the public on Wednesday.
The aquatic centre targets a 6 Star Green Star Building rating.
Architects Warren and Mahoney revealed that the centre will have spa and sauna facilities, a splash park, learn to swim pool, a 25-metre indoor lap pool and a 50-metre outdoor pool. The facility will be surrounded by green landscaping, native plantings, and a grove of gum trees, designed with cross-pollination at its core.
The architects hope the NARC will set a new benchmark for swimming and community facilities and inspire the next generation of sustainable spaces.
In 2017, the local council, the City of Darebin, declared a state of climate emergency, and the architects of NARC were challenged to create a 6 Star Green Star facility, which saw the removal of traditional gas from its design in favour of electrical heat pumps powered by renewable solar energy. The facility also has a renewable power purchase agreement, which provides renewably sourced power during the evening.
Architects claim that the facility is carbon neutral as the facility’s building material also incorporates natural products such as mass timber for the structure and ceiling with a state-of-the-art water filtration system that takes up less room and uses less power than a standard sand filter system.
Brett Diprose, Warren and Mahoney associate principal and the project’s architect said that creating a sustainable facility wasn’t the only challenge they faced; the design included trying to make it inclusive.
“Accessibility and balance are ideas that sit at the heart of this design and have been executed brilliantly by our construction partners, KANE,” Diprose said.
“The breadth of facilities and layout – including a specific adult-only bathing area, expansive foyer café and sprawling grounds surrounding the outdoor pool – enable this centre to truly act as a community hub.”
Landscaping was delivered by Normark Landscapes and designed by Arcadia Landscape Architecture. Materials were selected to offer a cool, light-colour palette to create a relaxing environment.
“The commitment to the ecological balance is symbolically marked with the large kingfisher on the external façade of the building,” Diprose said.
“During our project consultation with Wurundjeri elders, we came to learn of how the kingfisher will select their home; they will only create a nest in a place where there is ecological balance. And that is what the design and operations of this facility aims to deliver.”
“There’s a much greater sense of a thriving community hub than traditional aquatic centres have provided. There’s a commitment to celebrating the joy of physical movement and bringing people together to connect.”
There’s more
Meanwhile, Kingswim, a swimming school, had also opened a sustainability-prioritising swimming pool in September, within what will become the new Manor Lakes precinct located in south-western Melbourne.
The facility is developed and built by Architecture HQ, Ranfurlie Asset Management, Case Meallin and Newport Construction.
The 900 square metre facility will cost about $5 million and be built over 11 months.
The school will also feature a natural timber finish, with an interior built to prioritised natural light and will feature drought tolerant gardens and three rainwater tanks that help generate recycled water for flushing toilets. The swimming school will feature a colour palette to match the Manor Lakes Shopping Centre and other facilities in the precinct.
Kingswim executive manager Katie Adams hopes the development will serve as an example of how the leisure sphere can take on sustainability.
“We have received an overwhelmingly positive response from locals in our first weeks and could not be more pleased with the final product. It was fantastic to work with Ranfurlie Asset Management and the wider teams to execute this premium addition to the local community,” Adams said.
The swimming school will only be open to those participating in swimming classes.