The City of New Westminster has officially opened the aquatic centre portion of the new təməsew̓txʷ Aquatic and Community Centre.

The new 10,644 square metre (114,571 square foot) state-of-the-art facility is the city’s largest capital project to date. The combined aquatic and community centre is LEED Gold certified and is Canada’s first completed all-electric facility to achieve the Canada Green Building Council’s (CAGBC) Zero Carbon Building-Design Standard. Heatherbrae was the general contractor.

The new aquatic centre features an eight-lane, 50 metre lap pool with 1m and 3m springboards and a 5m diving platform, a fully-accessible leisure pool featuring spray elements, a lazy river that can be used for play and rehabilitation, family and adult hot tubs, sauna, and steam room.

Inclusive design and physical accessibility were core aspects of planning and have earned the project the Rick Hansen Foundation Accessibility Gold certification. The aquatic area includes fully accessible change and washrooms including adult sized change tables and lift mechanisms; ramps and zero-entry into the leisure pool; and a transfer ledge in the adult hot pool. The pool change rooms offer options for all genders as well as dedicated male and female spaces. Provisions were also made for limiting visual access to pool areas to accommodate all-body, women only, or cultural-sensitive swims.

Designed by HCMA, the natatorium area is filled with indirect natural light creating not only a welcoming space for recreational swimmers but also a more conducive light for athletic performance and the reduction of glare for swimmers and lifeguards. The aquatic space was purposefully separated into two pool tank areas to allow for each environment to be conditioned according to its unique needs. Air temperatures can also be matched to water temperatures to reduce evaporation and improve user experience.

“The new aquatic space at təməsew̓txʷ features a wide-range of amenities to appeal to all types of swimmers and pool users. From the large 50m competition lap pool, to the family-friendly leisure pool, relaxing hot tubs, steam room, and sauna, there is something here for everyone to enjoy.” said Dean Gibson, director of parks and recreation. “We are extremely proud of this new facility and the positive impact it will have on community recreation.”

təməsew̓txʷ Aquatic and Community Centre also has the distinction of being the first pool in North America to utilize the InBlue pool filtration system, which reduces the need for chlorine usage and the creation of associated harmful byproducts, resulting in improved air and water quality. Pool water in the system circulates by gravity through the filter which reduces pump energy consumption by 44 per cent compared to traditional systems contributing to the facility’s overall energy efficiency.

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