OMA

Green Square Aquatic Center & Gunyama Park . Sydney

OMA . SLA

The scheme conceives of the park as a counter-point to its densely urbanized surroundings by keeping a grounded and partially dispersed distribution of functions. The Aquatic Centre rises from the ground to form a dome. Its structure provides flexibility in spatial organization, climate responsiveness and connectivity. These elements combine to form a decisive architectural response within a layered and versatile urban park.

The impact of built form within the park is minimized while clusters of activity are generated across the whole site. The resulting landscape is a montage of community experiences; sporting, leisure and informal activities for young and old, within a wetland bio-remediation landscape that reclaims an indigenous environment rich in flora and fauna.
The domed and glazed Aquatic Centre creates a distinctive architectural address while mitigating built impact on the park. It forms a single transparent boundary, allowing visual permeability across its mass that reinforces the continuity of the landscape.
The main outdoor pool is spanned by two of the three pedestrian bridges that are woven into the park's circulation pattern. The dome's geometry allows for these paths to transverse across its surface, avoiding the walled boundary that would be a consequence of a typical extrusion.

Project: Green Square Aquatic Center & Gunyama Park
Status: Competition
Client: City of Sydney
Cost: $50 million
Location: Sydney, Australia
Site: 28000 sqm.
Program: 10 000 sqm. Indoor / 23 000 sqm. Outdoor
Aquatic Center, Gym, Sports Field, Public Park
Partner in charge: David Gianotten
Project Architect: Roberto Requejo
Team: Daniel Hui, Erick Kristanto, Juan Minguez, Anthony Lam with Slobodan Radoman, Yuan Gao, Chee Yuen Choy, Tian Xue Zhu, Taylor Cornelson, Mafalda Brandao, Thomas Brown
COLLABORATORS
Competition Advisor: Citylab (Andrew Mackenzie), OMA (Paul Jones)
Graphic Design: Fabio Ongarato Design (Ronnen Goren, Ben Kluger)
Landscape: SLA (Rasmus Astrup, Kirsty Louise Badenoch, Louise Holst)
Structure, MEP: OMA (Daniel Hui)