A world-leading Six Star Green Star rated building, that responds to the Climate Emergency declared by the City of Darebin.

The City of Darebin has engaged Warren and Mahoney to design a replacement facility. The aquatic components include an enhanced outdoor 50m pool, indoor lane pool, warm water pool, leisure pool, splash pad and learn to swim pool. The fitness and wellness facilities include multi-purpose spaces for group fitness and yoga, a fitness centre, and consulting rooms for allied health professionals.

Located at the heart of the design, the outdoor 50m pool is upgraded, but retains the existing landscape character that the community have come to cherish. The landscape design embraces the outdoor public space and the building itself through a carefully scaled berm that wraps around the built form.

Materials and systems have been selected to minimise the carbon footprint during construction and reduce energy use during operation. A large solar panel roof array provides a significant portion of the energy for the building. The timber structure provides sustainability benefits, as well as low maintenance and a welcoming aesthetic.

The central challenge was to create a design which is sympathetic to the local, largely residential context, while also framing a new 50m pool and external space. This challenge was met by using materials which are sympathetic to the context (brick and timber) and breaking down the overall ‘visual mass’ of the project through the careful modulation of façade and roof elements. Additionally, the City of Darebin required the project to meet a 6-Star Green Star sustainability rating – a demanding target for aquatic facilities. This will be achieved using a wide range of techniques including large scale photovoltaic arrays on roof surfaces.