At a glance
Parramatta Aquatic Leisure Centre
Client
Lipman for City of Parramatta
Location
Parramatta Park Parramatta New South Wales

In 2020 Tonkin was engaged by Lipman to provide structural and civil engineering services for City of Parramatta’s new Aquatic and Leisure Centre.

The original Parramatta Pool was demolished in 2017 to make way for Parramatta Stadium. As a result, the local community has been without a pool in this area for about five years.

The long-awaited new facility, which was officially opened in September 2023, includes an outdoor 50m pool, two indoor pools, water play zone, health and fitness centre, sauna and spa facilities, a cafe and park-like outdoor spaces is located within Mays Hill Precinct, which is part of Paramatta Park. In order to minimise obstructing the views to the heritage structures within the park and to minimise the other impacts on the park, the new centre is being built within the side of a hill. The construction of the project will require more than 60,000 cubic metres of dirt to be moved with excavations of up to seven metres deep.

Solar panels on the roof of the facility’s health and wellbeing centre will generate more than 142,000 kilowatts of power annually, 20 times the energy an average Australian home uses.

In addition to structural engineering, Tonkin provided civil design services, which included the new carpark and connection to the existing road. The car park has 186 parking bays, a coach set-down area and bicycle spaces that safely link to pathways in Parramatta Park.

While Tonkin's Sydney structural team has worked on a number of aquatic centre projects under their former TLB banner, this will be the first aquatic centre project delivered under the Tonkin name, and the biggest aquatic centre project the team has completed to-date.

Increasing urban infill means that land is at a premium, especially in our capital cities. The public has high expectations that newly built infrastructure compliments surrounding public space and isn’t visually disrupting.

Modern, full-service swimming facilities are often large and imposing structures. The Parramatta Aquatic Centre is a fine example of how innovative design and engineering can result in a structure that seamlessly integrates into a natural environment, and almost ‘disappears’ from certain angles but also maximises the external landscaped environment which is accessible to the public.

By creating a design that considers future use and structural durability, Tonkin has provided Council with a value for money solution and one that will deliver ongoing benefit to the community for many years to come.

This design optimisation – building a large, public structure into the ground – is one that will be considered in future Tonkin projects where visual amenity is key. While it was a complex undertaking, it is an effective solution for projects where visual impact is a major concern, and should be considered by consultants and the wider industry in the future.

In 2024, Tonkin’s work on the new Parramatta Aquatic Centre was recognised with a High Commendation at the Consult Australia Excellence Awards. 

If you have a challenging aquatic centre or pool project, please don't hesitate to drop us a line - Tonkin's structural and civil engineers will be happy to dive in and help!