Featuring a new environmentally friendly source, the final designs of the $17.5 million Maribyrnong Aquatic Centre in Melbourne’s western suburbs were put on public display in September. Cogeneration is when energy and heat is produced at the same time. Maribyrnong Mayor, Councillor Joseph Cutri, said the new Aquatic Centre, designed by architects, Daryl Jackson and Prior and Cheney, was phenomenal.
It will be one of only two aquatic facilities in Victoria to be powered by a cogeneration plant. A generator on site will produce electricity for the centre.
“Instead of the heat from this process being wasted, it will be captured and used to heat the pools in the centre,” the Mayor said. “The cogeneration process also reduces carbon dioxide emissions by 75 per cent, so operating the new centre will be comparable to taking 220 cars off the road. “Cogeneration will also be cheaper than purchasing conventional electricity, and we expect these cost savings to grow in the coming decades. So it’s good for our community and it’s good for our environment.”
Councillor Cutri said the centre had a fantastic, open design and it will be the most disability accessible aquatic centre in Victoria.
“When we decided to go ahead with this new centre back in 2001, we had a simple vision for this project – to build a new aquatic centre that has something for everyone,” he said. “Now we’ve not only fulfilled this vision – we’ve exceeded it.
“Our architects have designed the centre to maximise the million dollar views of the Melbourne city skyline, and have included three glass sections that can be opened in summer, leading out to a grassed picnic area.
“Working with our disability advisory group, we’re going to have disability access features better than any other pool in Victoria. This includes ramp access to every pool, a ground level spa, sauna and steam rooms designed for wheelchair access, disabled toilets and grab rails throughout the centre.
“During the community consultation process, we were approached by a mother who had a young son with a physical disability. She told us of the difficulty she has lifting and changing her boy into his clothes as he grew older. And it’s because of this need – that other people in our community also have – that we incorporated a separate changing room for people with a disability that includes a hydraulic lifting table.”
Construction of the Maribyrnong Aquatic Centre will commence shortly, and is expected to open in December 2005.
