Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
The Parramatta Aquatic Centre (PAC) stands as a testament to innovative design that seamlessly blends recreational amenity with natural landscape.
Located on the traditional lands of the Burramattagal, an inland group of the Dharug people, this $88.6 million facility opened its doors on May 30, 2023, marking a new chapter in community recreation for Western Sydney.
Parramatta Aquatic Centre by McGregor Coxall, won an 2025 International Architecture Award from The Chicago Athenaeum: Museum of Architecture and Design.
The project emerged from an international design excellence competition in 2018, representing a collaborative triumph between Grimshaw Architects, Andrew Burges Architects, and McGregor Coxall.
Together with construction partner Lipman, they created a facility that serves as both a recreational hub and an extension of the UNESCO World Heritage Listed Parramatta Park.
The design concept revolutionizes architectural integration with landscape by submerging the facility within the existing topography of the 1.44-hectare site.
This innovative approach maintains the park’s natural character while introducing world-class aquatic facilities.
The building’s most distinctive feature is its circular form, housing the Memorial Pool – a name that pays homage to the former Parramatta War Memorial Swimming Centre.
The centre’s facilities, arranged on a single level for optimal accessibility, feature a 10-lane, 50-metre outdoor pool as its centerpiece, encompassed by a distinctive ring-form structure.
Additional amenities include a 25-metre indoor pool, purpose-built learn-to-swim facilities, spa and wellness areas with steam and sauna rooms, and a state-of-the-art gymnasium with multiple group exercise spaces.
A café and ample bicycle and parking facilities complete the offering.
The landscape design demonstrates exceptional sensitivity to the site’s historical significance and environmental context.
Two linear pathways serve as the site’s spine, creating intuitive connections between the CBD-facing park, entry plaza, main pool space, ring walk, and veranda.
This thoughtful consideration of movement patterns enhances accessibility and integration with the broader urban context.
Environmental sustainability is paramount in the project’s achievements. The facility features 358 rooftop solar panels generating approximately 273 Megawatts per hour annually.
The fitness centre utilizes automated natural ventilation instead of traditional air conditioning, while strategically placed skylights filter harmful UV rays, maintain comfortable temperatures, and provide acoustic benefits.
Water management innovation includes 1,009 square meters of roof area dedicated to rainwater collection, complemented by rain gardens that define key entry points.
The project introduced 562 new native trees across 30,000 square meters of landscape, creating an urban forest that moderates temperature and provides essential shade.
This extensive planting strategy contributes significantly to urban heat mitigation and creates comfortable microclimate zones throughout the site.
The success of PAC is evident in its community impact, having hosted more than 20,000 swimming lesson participants and 4,000 school children for swimming carnivals, while attracting over 2,000 swim school program registrations in it’s first few months of operation.
With heated pools available year-round and diverse fitness programs catering to all skill levels and ages, the facility is projected to welcome more than a million visitors annually.
As a crucial link between Parramatta and Cumberland Councils, PAC serves as more than a recreational facility; it’s a civic asset strengthening community bonds and promoting healthy lifestyles.
The center’s design acknowledges the site’s rich historical layers while creating new opportunities for community engagement and recreation.
The Parramatta Aquatic Centre exemplifies how thoughtful architectural and landscape design can create spaces serving both recreational and environmental purposes.
By embedding the facility within the park’s topography, preserving heritage vistas, and implementing comprehensive sustainability measures, the project sets a new standard for public recreational facilities in harmony with natural landscapes.
Architects: McGregor Coxall
Project: Parramatta Aquatic Centre
Design Team: Philip Coxall, Xavier Sala, Chloe Street, Logan Pennington, and Jeremy Chivas
Architects: Grimshaw
Lead Architect: Michael Janeke
Architects: Andrew Burges Architects (ABA)
Lead Architect: Andrew Burges
General Contractor: Lipman Pty. Ltd.
Landscape Architects: McGregor Coxall
Client: City of Parramatta
Photographers: Peter Bennetts
