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Creative ideas shape Sydney’s newest aquatic centre
THE City of Sydney will invite architects from across the country to take part in an open competition to find the best design for a new aquatic centre and park for one of the fastest growing communities in NSW.
In March the City will issue invitations for architects to take part in a two-stage design competition for Gunyama Park at Zetland which will include an aquatic centre, synthetic multi-purpose playing field, playground and outdoor exercise circuit - all located adjacent to the new Green Square Town Centre.
The competition will be similar to the one the City held earlier this year for the Green Square Library and Plaza, which saw two young Sydney architects selected from 167 entries from around the world.
Their innovative design for the plaza integrated with the library was hailed as ‘brilliant’ by competition judge Glenn Murcutt, Australia’s only winner of international architecture’s highest honour, the Pritzker Prize.
Lord Mayor Clover Moore said the City was determined to get the best designs possible for its new buildings, and open design competitions were a great way to do that.
“When we ran the competition for the Green Square Library and Plaza we were delighted the judges unanimously agreed that two architects still in their 20s, Felicity Stewart and Matt Hollenstein, had come up with the best design,” the Lord Mayor said.
“That’s not only a great result for them, but a great result for the City, which is now busy working with Felicity and Matt to transform their creative vision into a library and a plaza that will delight tens of thousands.
“Our next design competition will also be a great chance for younger, emerging architects to test their ideas against more established industry figures.
“Architects from around the country should start thinking about ideas for Green Square’s new park and aquatic centre so they will be ready to work on designs when we formally open the competition.”
Architects will be asked to design the 1.6 hectare park with facilities to meet the growing demand from the local community, including an aquatic centre with a 50 metre pool, 25 metre pool, hydrotherapy pool and indoor water play area for children.
Just four kilometres south of the city centre, the greater Green Square area is the fastest growing part of the City of Sydney. The precinct will be home to more than 40,000 residents and 22,000 workers by 2030.
Ideally located on Joynton Avenue, the aquatic centre will be opposite the former South Sydney Hospital, which will be transformed into a creative community hub with facilities including artists’ studios, a community hall, childcare and healthcare facilities, affordable housing and a park.
Under the competition rules, which the City has developed based on guidelines from the Australian Institute of Architects, a panel of designers, architects, landscape architects and aquatic experts will assess all entries and provide a shortlist of the best designs in the first stage of the competition.
In the second stage, selected architects will be given eight weeks to prepare detailed submissions. A cost planner will assess all short-listed entries.
All stage one entries will be placed on public display, with comments invited from the community and interest groups and put to the ‘jury’ for consideration.
The City will announce the winning design late this year, with work on the project to begin soon after.
Architects wishing to enter the competition should look for details about registering for the competition on the City’s website in February.
The Lord Mayor said the new aquatic centre would be a boon for the growing number of Green Square residents, providing recreation and sporting facilities for people of all ages.
“We are providing the facilities needed to ensure Green Square is a community where people can work, enjoy recreation and raise their families,” the Lord Mayor said.
“The City is spending $440 million on roads, parks, community and childcare facilities and our wonderful new library and plaza in the new Green Square Town Centre.”
The City puts a great deal of effort into getting the best design for its projects, which have won a string of awards including the state’s oldest and most prestigious public architecture prize, the Sir John Sulman Medal, awarded this year for the City of Sydney’s Waterloo Youth, Family and Community Centre.
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