The Case for Leisurizing Pools

Aquatic facilities can follow the traditional competitive pool route or the water-as-playground philosophy. But they needn't be mutually exclusive.

Vic Davies

The realisation that swimming pools must cater to a wider variety of the population than just the competitive swimmer was highlighted in most municipalities in New Zealand following local authority amalgamations in 1989.

Parks and recreation staff throughout the country were asked to look very closely at the cost of operating swimming pool facilities and trim deficits. This happened at the same time I visited New Zealand for the first time as a guest speaker at an Australasian Pool Managers Conference in Christchurch.

I had been invited down to give a presentation on the evolution and development of leisure pools in Canada. On returning to Canada my fax became “red hot” with New Zealand cities and towns asking for further information on how to increase the profitability of aquatic facilities by leisurising them. New Zealand had become switched on.

The first true leisure pool and wave pool in New Zealand opened in New Plymouth in 1993. Modeled after a very successful facility in Matsqui, British Columbia, its immediate success was evident from the first day the doors opened.

It has been a relatively slow process since that initial 1989 presentation in Christchurch, but with the success of the New Plymouth facility, many more cities are now looking for the “magic formula”. Recently completed pools in Upper Hutt and Invercargill have given further proof to the fact that New Zealanders have accepted that leisurisation is here to stay.

New leisure pool facilities are under construction at Porirua and Mt. Albert Grammar School in Auckland, and others presently in the planning stages include Centennial Pool and Pioneer Pool in Christchurch. A major wave pool addition and revitalisation of the swimming complex at QEII are also planned. On the drawing board is the Tasman Pool in Richmond, while major leisure pool additions to Moana Pool in Dunedin are currently being considered – the wave is on and it is sweeping New Zealand aquatic circles with increasing momentum.

Rectilinear form

Prior to the 1980’s, pools were designed primarily with the competitive swimmer in mind. The design pattern would follow a rectilinear form; its shape and size limited only by the population density served and the budget available. Designers would accept this status quo in plan form and concentrate on the shape of the building envelope in which to express themselves, designing the facility “from the outside in”. Of secondary importance, it seemed, was the forgotten potential of the pool user. Facilities were designed strictly with competition in mind. They lacked life, were cold, clinical, uninspiring, and completely utilitarian in atmosphere.

Studies undertaken in the 1970’s radically changed this school of thought when it was finally realised that only 5% of pool patrons actually used swimming pools for training and/or competitive purposes. The remaining 95% utilised the pools for recreation, very much it seemed, under great duress.

The trend towards leisurisation of aquatic facilities had started in Europe in the late 1960’s and early 1970’s. Canada followed in the early 1980’s, with British Columbia leading in innovative design trends. British Columbia has a population of 3.3 million and this west coast province enjoys a temperate climate very similar to most of New Zealand.

The introduction of “leisure pools” in Britain resulted in intense rivalry between cities, where each seemed to be constantly trying to upstage the other by creating monster aquatic “fun palaces”, in most instances costing upwards of $20 million. Completely forgotten was the plight of the swimmer; these aquatic palaces were created strictly for fun. Such development in Europe helped shape the evolution and development of the new aquatic facilities in British Columbia, and now New Zealand, where a far greater awareness of the needs of all users was realised, and the basic thrust for design was to provide a “compromise” solution.

No longer a drain

British Columbia municipalities had, and still have, limited funds and, as in New Zealand, existing pools were racking up major deficits. Better use of space, greater awareness of user requirements, user expectations, environmental sensitivity, access to all, fiscal responsibility - these were all factors that influenced design trends. Aquatic facilities must cater to all and meet the needs of ever changing communities. With strained economies no longer can aquatic facilities be seen as a drain on the rate payer. Operating statistics must be addressed and facilities designed to become more self supportive and cost effective.

So what can we expect for the future? New aquatic facilities will be more entertainment oriented than in the past, with greater emphasis on family use, therapy, interactive water components, and fun. Moving water has already become an essential ingredient of present day facilities. Sauna, steam rooms, swirl pools, poolside viewing terraces, wave machines, bubble machines, bubble pits, waterslides, vortex, raindrop units, lazy rivers, rubber rocks, spray bars, water cannon, weirs, weight rooms, fitness centres, and physiotherapy clinics have all found their way into planning vocabulary of aquatic facilities in the 1990's without inhibiting the training and competition amenities.

All new major competitive facilities will be designed with leisure components, and existing outdated facilities will need to be retrofitted and designed to “humanise” the facilities, increase user participation and enjoyment, and increase revenue.

“Theming” of facilities has been successfully introduced and opened up a new dynamic form of expression within the facility. International themes line up with local pride and history to provide endless possibilities for interior decoration.

“Imagineering” provides any facility with its own identity with a minimum outlay and can be changed when required, again at a relatively low cost.

The success of the new aquatic facilities in New Zealand proves that this innovative, community oriented approach to pool design has successfully created friendly, informal pool environments and increased revenue returns, while still catering to the competitive swimmer.

Published in New Zealand Facilities Manager Winter 1997