Oasis in Sydney’s Inner West

The outdoor 50 metre pool at the Ashfi eld Aquatic Centre gets put to the test.

The new Ashfi eld Aquatic Centre is anticipating over 500,000 visits a year. Nigel Benton reports

At a time when the costs of building metropolitan aquatic facilities appears to be spiralling upwards, Sydney’s Inner West Council seems to have got pretty good value with its refurbishment of the Ashfield Aquatic Centre.

At a cost of $44.7 million, the facility, replacing the Ashfield Olympic Pool which had pools dating back to the 1960s, is the third largest in Sydney (based on water area) and is both a community aquatic and wellness facility as well as acting as a hub for elite aquatic sport within Sydney’s inner west.

Welcoming the new facility, Inner West Mayor, Darcy Byrne states “the rebuilding of the old Ashfield Pool is the largest community infrastructure project in our history, and we have now delivered a multi-purpose aquatics and health and fitness facility that our community will enjoy for generations to come.”

Designed by Brewster Hjorth architects and built by FDC Construction, the redeveloped facility, which is expected to attract over 500,000 visitors a year, includes a Technogym-equipped health and fitness centre with an extensive range of free weights, machines and programmable spaces; a café; creche; community meeting room facilities and a spa, sauna and steam room.

Among its five aquatic areas, outdoor there is the refurbished 50 metre pool with accessible ramp, enlarged to 10 lanes with an adjustable split boom from S.R.Smith enabling it to be divided for different programs.

The outdoor area also features a large constant depth childrens’ recreation/play pool and a new outdoor program pool built as an international standard water polo venue.

Mayor Byrne, recognises the importance of the facility for elite sport, noting

MOVEABLE FLOORS

The new indoor program pool at the Ashfi eld Aquatic Centre.

The facility’s new outdoor program pool has been built to international water polo standards and features the Australian-fi rst installation of an Akvo Spiralift fl oating fl oor.

“Ashfield’s swim and water polo clubs have a long history at this site and the new aquatic centre has secured their future use of the pool for training and competitions for years to come.”

The program pool features the Australian-first installation of an Akvo Spiralift floating floor from S.R.Smith which, with the floor able to be raised and lowered on demand, can accommodate swimming lessons, aquafitness classes, zero-depth activities along with water polo games.

Outdoor there is also a shaded grandstand for swim carnivals, a family area, green space and marshalling area.

Indoor aquatic space includes a further 25 metre program pool which doubles as a hydrotherapy treatment pool and which links with the spa, sauna and steam room to provide a warm water environment for rehabilitation purposes or for just general relaxation and wellness.

Services offered include group fitness classes, mind and body classes, personal training, learn to swim, squads and programs to cater for all ages and fitness levels. Project History The project was conceived by the former Ashfield Council, which, as far back as 2007 deemed that the facility was at the end of its technical life and required major repairs or replacement, concluding that there would need to be significant funding allocated to keep the facilities at an appropriate usable standard and to meet the NSW Department of Health Guidelines for Public Swimming Pools.

Shortly before its May 2016 merger with the Leichhardt and Marrickville councils to become the Inner West Council, Ashfield Council agreed the redevelopment of the facility with a $14 million budget.

Once amalgamated, the cost of the redevelopment rose to $23.5 million in 2017 before reaching its final price tag as a result of the project being expanded with features including the gym and sauna. In addition to the changes in the scope of work, a number of investigations had to take place to further understand the project requirements including an understanding of existing site conditions such as hazardous materials,

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geotechnical depth of piling and other geotechnical issues.

Explaining the expansion of the project’s scope, Mayor Byrne advised “the initial plans put forward to the community were quite limited and did not include a new health and fitness centre, or a movable floor for the new outdoor pool so it can change its depth, opening it up for a wide range of uses including water polo.

“Rather than funnelling funds into a short-term strategy to patch up the dilapidated centre which was literally at the end of its lifespan, council listened to the community and determined to future-proof the centre for future generations.”

Mayor Byrne sees the result as a significant infrastructure project, commenting “Council was determined to get this once in a lifetime opportunity right - to transform Ashfield Pool into a first class facility for the whole community to enjoy for generations to come.”

On the expansion of the project’s initial scope, he went on to say “while the additions to the original concept have now obviously added to the construction costs - it means that the new facility meets a diverse range of community needs.

“In the Inner West, we invest in public pools as a public health and wellbeing strategy.”

With the merger of the Ashfield, Leichhardt and Marrickville councils bringing together six aquatic facilities (two managed by an external contractor), the opening of the Ashfield Aquatic Centre has allowed the Council to better integrate its aquatics programs and services across the facilities with membership options allowing for access to multiple sites.

On site at the Ashfield Aquatic Centre the accessible entrance and customer service area, along with its retail space, is controlled by Dorma Kaba’s new Argus 40 barriers and integrated with Links Modular Solutions software. Commenting on what the new facility will deliver, Simon Duck, the Council’s Senior Manager for Sport and Recreation, explained “aquatic centres hold iconic places in Australian society. “Not just for participation in recreation and fun but for socialisation with peers, family socialisation and inter-generational activities.

“They’re incredible hubs of community attendance with programs for all age ranges (such as) learn-to-swim and fitness programs plus squads, personal training and exercise physiology.” Nigel Benton is Publisher of Australasian Leisure Management.

Restoration work in progress at the Dawn Fraser Baths.

Dawn Fraser Baths

The Council’s commitment to its aquatic spaces is also seeing it approaching completion of a $9 million heritage restoration of Dawn Fraser Baths on Sydney Harbour in Balmain, the last enclosed harbour baths in Australia.

Presented with advice that tidal saltwater pool was likely to become unsafe for public use without restoration the soon-to-be-completed work has focussed on the ageing infrastructure surrounding the pool, including creating easier access, more change rooms, lighting and raising the boardwalk to sea level.