Sweet Design

There's definitely a trick to making a new building fit into a mature park in a historic neighborhood, as the designers of the Fairmont Aquatic Center in Salt Lake City found out firsthand.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF DOUGLAS KAHN

Their solution called for an extensive glass area enclosing the natatorium toward the park, allowing pool users to feel a part of the landscape.

"The most successful thing, I think, is the openness of the pool area," says Russ Bachmeier, project architect. "We wanted lots of glass to open it up to the park, bringing the natural setting of the park into the pool and vice-versa."

Housing both a competition pool and a leisure pool, the natatorium is structured with an exposed concrete frame in-filled with green-tinted, high-performance glazing. The glazing for the leisure pool projects outward in a curved shape from the concrete structural frame, presenting a dramatic view of the surroundings. Galvanized-steel grate shades suspended from the exterior of the building help cut down the glare on the water of the competition pool.

During the day, both pools seem like a natural part of the park environment because of the strong visual connection to the outdoors. At night, the natatorium glows like a lantern in the landscape.

Along the street front, a curved Atlas brick wall encloses the low locker room and support areas.

Development of the aquatic center was reviewed and approved at every step by the Sugar House Community Council, which oversees the preservation of this long-standing section of Salt Lake City.

"It's a modern design, obviously, but it does relate well to the historic Sugar House neighborhood," Bachmeier says, noting the different colors of brick used on the exterior.

Interestingly, Fairmont Aquatic Center is the only Zoos, Arts, and Parks Tax-financed project within the Salt Lake City limits. And aside from its sheer recreation value, the natatorium also fills an athletic niche for some Salt Lake City school districts that share it as their home pool.

From water slides to water polo, there is quite a variety of offerings.

"We fit a lot of different things in a relatively small area," Bachmeier says.

"Seductively inviting. Great use of bold color." —Michael Bourque "Consistent attention to the details and to the scale of the building elements make this project a little gem. The design is very crisp and has a consistency of quality throughout. Nice curb appeal." —Reed I. Voorhees "Very striking appearance, seems to add drama for users. Nice spaces, use of natural light. Simple, clean detailing." —Philip Neeley