- Sports & Entertainment
Client
Location
Architect
Value
Completion
Services
- Civil Engineering, Structural Engineering
Northcote Aquatic and Recreation Centre is a world-leading 6 Star Green Star facility, redefining what sustainable aquatic design can achieve for a community. 
PROJECT OVERVIEW
The Northcote Aquatic and Recreation Centre (NARC) is a $60M renewal of a major community facility in Northcote, Victoria, delivered for the City of Darebin and designed by Warren and Mahoney. Completed in 2023, the centre provides state-of-the-art aquatic and fitness facilities including an enhanced outdoor 50m pool, a 25m indoor lane pool, warm water pool, leisure pool, splash pad, and learn-to-swim pool. Fitness and wellness facilities include multi-purpose spaces for group fitness and yoga, a fitness centre, and consulting rooms for allied health professionals.
The project was driven by Darebin’s 2017-2022 Climate Emergency Plan, with council committing to a 6 Star Green Star rating, a demanding target for an aquatic centre, which is traditionally one of the most energy-intensive building types.
SCOPE OF WORK
TTW provided Timber, Structural, and Civil Engineering services across the project. Sustainability was embedded into every aspect of the structural and civil design, with energy use considered in material selection and structural detailing to ensure the building’s thermal envelope was not compromised.
Mass timber features prominently throughout the main pool hall, with the roof structure framed by large double Glulam timber beams that also conceal ventilation ducts and services. An innovative Dowel Laminated Timber (DLT) product was adopted for the pool hall’s structural ceiling, combining structural, acoustic, and thermal performance while delivering a distinctive architectural finish.
The Civil design adopts best practice stormwater management principles, and all materials and systems were selected to minimise embodied carbon during construction and reduce operational energy use.
CHALLENGES
Achieving a 6 Star Green Star rating for an aquatic centre necessitated innovation across all disciplines. Aquatic facilities are traditionally among the most energy-intensive building types, making the sustainability target particularly demanding. TTW’s response required careful integration of structural and civil decisions with the broader sustainability strategy, ensuring that the choice of materials, structural detailing, and civil systems all contributed to the performance of the thermal envelope and the reduction of the building’s carbon footprint.
The adoption of DLT for the pool hall ceiling represented a significant technical challenge, requiring the product to simultaneously satisfy structural, acoustic, and thermal requirements while meeting the architectural intent.
FINALISING
The completed NARC stands as one of Australia’s most sustainably ambitious aquatic centres, demonstrating that high-performance community infrastructure and world-class sustainability outcomes can be achieved together. The timber structure delivers ongoing benefits beyond its environmental credentials, providing a low-maintenance and welcoming aesthetic that serves the Northcote community for generations.
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