CANADA’S MOST ACCESSIBLE AND INCLUSIVE POOL

Replacement Of Wascana Pool In Regina

In October 2023, Wascana Pool reopened, replacing an outdated 72-year-old facilitiy with a destination pool that provides an iconic social experience and promotes fitness, fun, wellness, and safety for everyone. Located in Wascana Park, in the heart of Regina, the capital city of Saskatchewan province, the new pool aims to be Canada’s most accessible and inclusive. It was a design collaboration between P3A Partnership and interdisciplinary firm, hcma architecture + design.

Community consultation was an important part of the design process and included extensive public and stakeholder group engagement to develop consensus around key programmatic decisions that guided the design of the pool facility.

Pools and pavilions aligned

Wascana Park is one of the largest urban parks in North America and close to the hearts of many Regina residents. Originally designed in 1912 to a restrained English park layout, the park is flanked by large, formal buildings, including the University of Regina, the Royal Saskatchewan Museum and the Provincial Legislature.

The new pool’s site ­ cast concrete pavilions are inspired by the natural placement, texture and shape of Wascana Park’s Elm trees and build off a modernist history of concrete pavilions dotted around the park and lake. The indoor spaces are distributed across several pavilions which reduces the sense of bulk and unnatural intervention in the landscape. The pools act as counterpoints to the pavilion structures.

The pavilions and the pools fit into the natural clearing on the site, providing ample grass and deck areas within the fence to allow for individuals and groups to set up for longer periods. The main change room pavilion is located just off a new plaza, near the drop off from the main roads. All of these intersect with an existing pedestrian and cycling path structure.

In homage to the park’s central location in Regina, a 9m­high slide tower rises above the tree canopy. It aligns with the city grid, creating a unique experience and putting visitors at the heart of the city.

Wascana Pool features

The pool areas include a 700 m² leisure pool with zero depth entry, lazy river and lap lanes, and a 10 ­lane 25 m x 25 m lap pool with an accessible switchback ramp, climbing wall, and diving boards/platforms.

They are complemented by a 75 m² hot pool designed to encourage socializing, with an accessible ramp and wellness elements, an accessible dual-flume water slide with ramp and transfer ledge, a two­slide tower with run­ out that is being retrofitted with elevator access, and a hardscape pool deck with outdoor showers and drainage.

Smaller guests can enjoy the toddler slide and play el ements, as well as the spray pad and playground (outboard of the pool control fence).

The universal (non ­ gendered) change room and washroom facilities are fully accessible rooms with tactile wayfinding and signage. Broad lawn areas with tree shade invite for lounging and picnicking. All season concession and multipurpose rooms serve pool users and visitors to the wider park, extending the facility’s presence in Wascana Park year­ round.

IMPACT ON WASCANA’S COMMUNITY LIFE

“This was a significant project for me, given that Regina is my hometown, and I grew up using the old facility and the park around it. Those memories have given me a deep appreciation for the importance of the park and Wascana Pool in the lives of the community – and so, designing the replacement pool came with a strong sense of responsibility to do the right thing. To do something that would both honour the place and provide a truly community­oriented amenity.

The new pool draws families back into the park, and provides a place for socialization, recreation, and fitness at the heart of this important park. Since it opened, we’ve seen people of all ages and abilities embracing the facility, with much higher participation than the pool it replaced. Much of that is thanks to extensive community engagement and consultation – we learned that the community desired a facility that would provide the fullest range of aquatic experiences as possible: opportunities for fitness, for families, for relaxation and wellness, for rehabilitation. I believe we delivered on those diverse and extensive expectations.

We are thankful for the alignment we had with our client when it came to questions about accessibility and inclusivity. Our intention and purposes matched. We had strong support to design a completely gender­ neutral change facility, and that a mutual spirit of inclusivity found its way into all the decisions we made.

Managing Principal,

The physical and formal design of the project – breaking down the mass of the building into smaller pavilions – was really important to us, to minimize the impact on the park and avoid interrupting the flow of the park spaces. The new pool is larger than the one it replaced, so it was imperative to expand in a way that was sensitive to the nature around it.”

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Michael Henderson, Principal, hcma architecture + design: “Wascana Pool was already considered an important part of the City’s community fabric. The enhancements introduced by the new pool and its accessible facilities reinforce the site as a hub for Regina’s recreational, social, and cultural life that is available for all.”

Derek Meyers, Local MLA:

“We talk about a Saskatchewan that works for everyone, I think this pool really shows that when it comes to accessibility, having swim lanes, having paddling pools, having spray parks. This is something that people in the Regina area are really going to enjoy.”

Lori Bresciani, Acting Deputy Mayor:

“I saw how the park came alive. (The facility) reinvigorates this whole piece of the park, which I think is beautiful, but it even beautifies it even more. And we’re going to see a lot of young people, young families coming to enjoy, and all ages. We heard from many seniors that are so excited about this pool as well.”

Sandra Masters, Mayor:

“We are thrilled to have seen over 100,000 swimmers visit the new Wascana Pool since it opened back in June… Thank you to everyone who came out to enjoy this new facility. We look forward to many more years of making summer memo ries at Wascana Pool.”

James Youck, Principal, P3A:

“The activity at the pool has increased exponentially. Every day sees families and individuals of all ages and capabilities enjoying all that the new facility has to offer. The comment we have heard from almost every user is “This is amazing!” It has set a new bar in the city and province for aquatic facilities of this nature.”

Location

Batemans Bay, Australia

Client / operator

Aligned Leisure, Punt Road Oval www.alignedleisure.com.au

Architects

NBRS www.nbrs.com.au

Donovan Payne Architects www.donovanpayne.com.au

Author Andrew Tripet

Photos

Alexander Mayes Photography

Official opening

July 2022

Construction costs AUD 61 million (EUR 36.8 million)