A $20.4 million, 19-metre-high water polo and aquatics centre would be built on a narrow strip of land connecting Sutherland shire to the Kurnell Peninsula, under plans submitted to the local council.
The Sharks Aquatic Centre, designed by Turner, has been in the works for a number of years as part of the wider Cronulla High School Master Plan, which was approved in 2014. To be operated by the not-for-profit Sharks International Water Polo Academy, the venue would host local, regional, state and national water polo competitions, as well as facilitating training and education. It would include a 50-metre pool and seating for around 1,000 spectators, along with an exercise physiology suite, classrooms, offices and other ancillary spaces.
Turner, in planning documents, describes how the building has been designed in reference to its scenic location.
“There is a reference to the sea and sand dunes, which is emphasized in the movement of the façade and the play on reflection and refraction to evoke a building that interacts with light and shadow,” the architects state.
“The verticality and frequency of the columns that wrap around the building reference the dense mangroves that surround the bay.”
The design seeks to create a legible building, which is safe and connected, in order to attract new people to the sport.
“The frequency of the vertical columns which surround the whole perimeter are used to define areas for gathering, meeting and entry points, and have become a key component in the signage and wayfinding strategy,” the planning documents state.
The challenging nature of the shape of the site has been embraced and celebrated by an articulated façade, which leads visitors around to the building entry from the moment of arrival whilst instilling a sense of movement.”
The proposed height – 18.77 metres at the tallest point – breaches the 12 metres allowed at the site by local planning rules, but the architects note that the bulk of the building falls within the regulations and that “the ridged portion of the roof is set back from the boundary of the neighbouring residential development to minimize the impact of the increased height.”
Habit8 is the landscape architect for the project and Capital Bluestone is the developer.
