You can read about the science behind a good pool but what else goes into a facility to really make it great? It is easy when designing a pool to stop at the pumps controlling a pool and the hole you put in the ground but a truly good facility looks not only at the athlete but also at the ease of hosting an event and making a facility that considers all aspects of a true Natatorium
Lighting- Lighting is often an afterthought in many aquatic center designs and often times, no consideration is given to how it can effect a race. Lighting is important for both judging the distance and gauging the swimmer position, in competition. A good facility design has considered a careful balance of natural light with careful attention to limiting the glare it could cause and un-natural lights with proper angles and illumination for optimal racing, all while keeping in mind the spectator experience and officiating requirements.
Acoustics- A natatorium has to deal with all sorts of sounds. There are starter buzzers, official whistles, final lap bells, announcements, coaches coaching, on-deck athletes talking and spectators cheering. It can be difficult to design a facility that considers and properly accommodates for all the action but when you are in the design phase, choosing the right elements can make for sound dampening like wall angles and materials, speaker placement, spectator viewing area placement and athlete accommodation areas. Good teams work with engineers that specialize, exclusively, on aquatic acoustics.
HVAC Systems- With fresh, clean air, an athlete can perform better. Lung expansion and contraction can reach optimal levels and non-athletes are in a more comfortable, more enjoyable space. Fresh air is critical not just for the performance of the athlete but also for the comfort of the spectators and those fully clothed. Spectators require cooler air with higher velocities as compared to the athletes on the pool deck. When it comes to HVAC solutions in natatoriums, there is not a one-size fits all approach.
Deck Dimensions- Optimal deck space is really dependent on the types of swimming going on in your facility. For a strictly practice facility, the most important element is the pool itself and deck space needs to accommodate for the coach, swimmers that are not in the pool and their parents. When considering a facility that can host collegiate and elite competition, it is important to consider television tracks, appropriate space for the number of swimmers attending the competitions. Let’s not forget the officials who have to traverse the length of the pool, and don’t want to fall in due to congested walkways. Once your space is designed and built, it is very costly to expand you space and with the right feasibility study and market research, an appropriate size can be determined
Spectator Seating- The joke in swimming is that you always want to separate the coaches and swimmers from the parents by putting them on the second level to view at a distance. But in truth, having seating on the second level provides the best feel for the fans and the most room for everyone taking part in the event. The swimmers want to feel energies by crowds as well as feeling like they have space to focus on there on events. In elite competition, this also enables security and safety of athletes to be controlled and can provide easier credential check points.
It can be a challenge to consider all users that are affected by an aquatics facility but with proper planning and a good team, you can truly make a great space. Being considerate of your market opportunity and users can ultimately position your facility to stay on budget with a build and optimize the return by capturing an appropriate audience of users.