Feature Article - Hobart Aquatic Centre
Contributed by Blythe Yeung and Associates
The brief for the design of Tattersall’s Hobart Aquatic Centre was to provide an indoor swimming facility to cater for competitive swimming sports and leisure activities. The design needed to comply with standards to allow national and international competitions of major water sports and diving to be held at the centre.
The Centre comprises a 50-metre eight-lane competition pool with floating adjustable boom, a 25-metre-long diving pool with eight diving boards, a 25-metre warm-up and learn-to-swim pool, a leisure pool with assorted water features and a toddlers pool.
Other facilities include water slide, sauna, spa and steam room, kiosk, gymnasium and aerobics areas, offices, occasional care facilities and permanent seating for 1000 spectators.
Features of the Centre include the innovative water and air heating system and the water purification system. Heat reclamation using heat exchangers make use of the nearby wastewater reticulation from the Hobart City Council’s treatment plant at Selfs Point. The water purification system is a non-chemical system, which avoids the chlorine smell found in most indoor pools. Both systems provide significant savings in running costs.
Similar aquatic centres provided interstate have cost in the region of $25 million or more, whereas the final cost of the Hobart Aquatic Centre is likely to be about $13.5 million.
Architects for the project were Blythe Yeung and Associates and Peter Hunt, architects in association.
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