Coventry City Council recently commissioned a state-of-the-art £36m water park and leisure center in the heart of the city, as part of a large regeneration development.
The landmark new complex replaces an existing council office block on a tightly constrained site next to the city’s 70m-high Grade II-listed Christchurch Spire, one of the city’s historical landmarks. Faulkner Brown was appointed as architect to design the building whilst US firm, Water Technology Inc, a global specialist designer of water park rides, was appointed to design the pools and indoor features.
The building contains the main 25m swimming pool, squash courts, plant areas and a spa on the ground floor. The first floor accommodates a gym, changing rooms, further plant areas and a children’s splash pool. Above this sits the pool ride hall: a cylindrical, multi-level, open-plan structure which forms the main architectural theme of the building. Within the hall, a lower level provides the base for the wave pool, lazy river and associated balance tanks. The main hall level above this forms the pool surround where many of the rides culminate, and from where visitors ascend twin staircases leading upwards to the very top of the steel-framed ride tower, which is where the six rides begin.
Coventry Water Park is due to open in 2019.
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