Liverpool Aquatics Centre, Picton Pool
March 2008
SPACE & PLACE designed a 5000m² building linking to the existing sports centre with a contemporary structure which is both elegant and striking in appearance. The design features laminated timber beams and columns with large glazed facades which allows natural light to reflect throughout the interior of the building. The glazed elevations are angled to accentuate the dynamic glulam timber structure as well as reducing the transmission of sunlight and solar gain into the pool halls.
The Liverpool Aquatics Centre provides a 50m regional training and competition pool for Merseyside as part of the Wavertree Sports Park, which also provides an athletics stadium, indoor tennis centre and outside 5-a-side pitches. The scheme is an example of an urban regeneration project and received a £4m grant from Sport England. The project has also received funding from British Swimming to provide poolside recording and playback facilities to aid training.
The facility comprises a 50m 8 lane pool with traversable boom and floating floor, 4 lane community pool with a floating floor, 350 spectator seats and village changing facilities.
The project has incorporated a refurbishment of the existing 1980’s leisure centre and now provides a ten station Technogym and dry changing facilities which is run by the council’s in-house Lifestyles Fitness.