The Noble Park swimming pool has received its first major redevelopment since it opened 50 years ago with Suters Architects at the helm.
The materials used consisted of spotted gum timber, plywood panelling and warm toned ceramic floor tiles 'to bring a softer human element to the spaces'.
Photography: Peter Bennetts
The building form itself is complex, consisting of undulating roofs and fascias that carry inside the building to add impact to the entry and main activity spaces, as well as the use of a series of steel trusses.
The main building truss is 100m meters long and runs continuously from one end of the building to the other.
The trusses were described by the firm as an architectural design element to connect all the spaces and bring the building together into a cohesive whole.
This has been done by defining the truss using highlight windows at various locations along the length of the building. The truss is fully exposed and spans 22 metres unsupported in the indoor pool hall. The design using steel trusses help achieve much greater spans and reduce the number and frequency of steel columns.
Suters Architects Clinton Wyner said that the mass concrete elements around the base of the building help to strengthen its association with the site.
“The angular geometry and bold massing have been arranged to frame out selected areas of the internal program to enhance the community offer. The landscape also features strongly in the design and provides further opportunities for people to congregate and interact.”
Adrian Seow, Suters’ design architect on the project, worked in collaboration with community artist Emma Anna to develop a concept with anoriginal colour theme based on the reflection on Australian bathing culture.
“A series of patterns and motifs were developed referencing wave forms and the interweaving lines of water as visual metaphors. The eight colours carefully selected for the colour palette include a range of blues representing water and the sky, greens representing grass, and yellow representing the sun-all natural elements are at play within the facility and applied across various facets and features of the building,” Adrian said.
The centre contains a new 50 metre heated outdoor pool, indoor program pool, splash pads, aqua play equipments and the rejuvenated Noble Parkwater slide.
