Special Supplement: A Complete Guide to Aquatic Centers
Just Add Water
By Kelli Anderson
For many facilities, good design also requires planning for multiple use. Although studies have shown that greater amounts of recreational use provide greater monetary returns (which increase recovery costs of construction, reduce subsidy rates and increase revenues), aquatic centers should not ignore the need to accommodate lap swimmers and competitive users.
In an ideal situation (read: healthy budget), aquatic centers can plan for multiple pools designated for around-the-clock recreational activity, lessons, competitive use and rentals for parties. With multiple pools, there are many obvious advantages. Revenue-producing recreation can continue without interruption, special-event rentals can be relegated to a portion of the facility instead of requiring a complete shutdown, and even repairs of these separate systems can be done without having to inconvenience all the users.
If budgets won't budge, however, or if expanding an existing facility is not an option, there are some modest and creative ways to design for multiple use. Recreational features like water slides with separate run-outs are a great solution to a multitasking dilemma. They don't take up much additional space, are relatively affordable and allow some recreational activity to continue while other programming takes place.
Swim-in-place systems for lap swimmers are another way to add a lap-lane element to your facility when space is a premium. For the DesPeres Community Center in St. Louis, the wave pool was designed to change into a lap pool with the flip of a switch. Depending on what elements your users want most will determine how much space and how many elements you will need to take into consideration.
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