The Parramatta Aquatic Centre has opened to the eagerly awaiting Western Sydney community, just in time for the 2023 swimming season.
The Centre is located in Parramatta Park which is inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List as the site of Old Government House. The overall concept is integration into the distinct landscape and the acknowledgement of the May’s Hill location as a traditional meeting and gathering place.
Celebrating the social and recreational pleasure of swimming in a park setting, the Centre provides a new community focal point for Parramatta. The city has been without a municipal pool for nearly six years as the previous facility was removed to make way for a stadium.
Now, the city will have access to a 50-metre, 10 lane outdoor pool with seating, a 25-metre indoor recreational pool, in indoor Learn-to-Swim pool, water playground, steam, spa and sauna, multi-purpose community rooms and a health and wellness centre with modern gym, program rooms and a café. All of the features are predominantly organised on a single level for ease of access and use.
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Grimshaw leads the design partnership with Andrew Burges Architects (ABA) and McGregor Coxall as landscape architect. The design team’s submission was selected as the winning scheme from a Design Excellence Competition in 2018, at which time the jury commended the response to exceptional operational aspects, the generosity of space contributing to the user experience and the integration of the scheme into the park.
Grimshaw have previously collaborated with ABA on Gunyama Park Aquatic & Recreation Centre at Sydney’s Green Square, which was jointly awarded the 2021 Lord Mayor’s Prize in the 2021 Australian Institute of Architecture Awards (NSW Chapter) and received the award for public architecture at the 2021 Australian Institute of Architects National Awards.
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12.10.2023