The Building

Building elements outside the basic dimensions and tolerances of the pool tank(s) include, but are by no means limited to,

• Deck space and decking material
• Sectional profile and water depths
• Provision for ancillary water areas
  • learner pool
  • cool down pool.
• Poolside equipment
  • including timing and score board
  • sound systems
• Diving facilities
• Spectator seating including both temporary and permanent
• Support accommodation
• Standards of illumination
• Water treatment
• Air handling

Consultation should occur early in the design process with The Aquatic Sport Council of Ontario. FINA facility rules are available from their website (www.fina.org/content/fina-rules)

Location and Site Evaluation
Sometimes the choice is not only obvious but dictated by donated land, city council or other factors. However, before finally selecting a site it is essential that it is fully evaluated in terms of catchment, potential market and user demographics. A technical analysis might include,

• Space for the proposed facility and for future expansion. Try not to choose geography which would leave the building ‘land-locked’.
• Site constraints such as shape and contours and whether they can be used to reduce excavation or the visual impact of the proposed building.
• The bearing capacity of the ground, soil condition and depth of the water table, particularly in relation to the pool tank and neighbouring buildings that may be linked to or be close to the pool building.
• Accessibility for pedestrians, cyclists, cars, buses, service and emergency vehicles and public transport.
• Potential car parking for users and staff. Some competitions can attract up to 5,000 spectators.
• Location of existing public services, especially the capacity for waste water drainage.
• Links with existing recreational/sports (hockey rinks) and educational facilities (schools or universities) in order to benefit from shared management and grouped facilities.

Site Planning
Once a site has been selected the position of the pool will depend on a range of factors:

• Position of existing and new access roads and public utility services.
• Orientation in relation to natural lighting and solar glare. The lighting is important for athletes when competing and how it impacts one end of the pool versus the other.
• Visibility of the facility and how it complements its surroundings.
• Car parking, including potential for overflow parking and snow removal.
• Access for service and emergency vehicles.
• Soil sub-strata conditions and depth of the water table from the soil survey. This is important in many communities in Ontario and their proximity to lakes.

External Design
Swimming pools cater to all sections of society: parents with children, schools, the elderly, ethnic groups and people with disabilities just to name a few. The external design must reflect the specific needs of these groups in the same way as the interior of the building. A facility should complement its surroundings.

The main entrance should be clearly visible from the main pedestrian and vehicular approaches to the site. Where this is difficult or impossible to achieve – such as in tight urban sites, existing schools or on college sites, for example – there should be clear signs giving directions to the main entrance and related car parking areas.

• Direct and well-defined hard landscaped route(s) should be provided for pedestrians from the site boundary to the main entrance.
• Safe route(s) should be planned to avoid traffic congestion
• Seating areas along pedestrian routes (over 50m).
• Parent and bus drop off point as close as possible to the entrance.
• Access for people with disabilities, including wheelchair users, must be provided.
• Service and maintenance access should be separate from public car parking and the main entrance.
• Access to a first aid room with a dedicated space for EMS parking and adequately sized doors for stretcher access.
• Security for users
• A well lighted public parking lot (lots of early morning practices and late nights)
  • Appropriate low growth landscaping
  • Pedestrian routes should be planned away from areas of potential concealment.
  • Bus parking space for drop off and pickup of athletes as well as idling location and attention turning space if needed.
• Secure and separate bicycle parking with racks located under cover close to the main entrance and, preferably, visible from the office / reception.
• Perhaps consider planting trees to prevent unacceptable levels of glare in the pool area.

Swimming pools are generally large volume spaces and the external appearance will need to be addressed. The massing, scale and volume of the building will be key planning considerations, especially in relation to its location and neighbourhood. Activities such as diving will necessitate a substantial increase in the overall height of the building and, inevitably, its scale.

While we recognize that water slides, water cannons or flumes (if included) can be used to attract recreational swimmers they should be designed to not impact the competitive aspects of the facility. Indeed a separate splash pad and area can be built and converted to a cool down pool if necessary.

The choice of an appropriate structural approach and material for the large spans covering the pool and the ancillary accommodations needs to be considered. It is essential that the glazing design is carefully considered to avoid glare and specular reflection inside the pool building. The aim is to provide the optimum balance of natural lighting that avoids gloomy conditions. Windows allowing views in and out of the pool hall need careful consideration and should be considered in relation to the need for swimmer privacy. Windows can provide dramatic effects both internally and externally, particularly at night.

Whatever the design or appearance this is the face of the pool seen by the community. The community will take note of the architecture the cushioned floors and the please colour. For them they will assume the pool is the correct dimensions and the depth is something everyone thought about.