Carnegie Memorial Swimming Pool, a cornerstone of the local community since 1966, has been reimagined to preserve its historic essence while introducing modern amenities.

The expanded facility includes indoor pools, sauna, spa, consulting suites, café, and program rooms, all housed within a re-envisioned red-brick structure – a low, lean mass, buried to feel like a single-level building rather than a “big box”.

Designed to blend with its parkland and residential surroundings, the new facility integrates sustainable features and has achieved the highest Green Star design review score for an aquatic centre in Australia.

Our client and design team aimed to exceed the minimum threshold, pushing the facility’s sustainability performance to a nationally leading level. With the full support of our client and ESD consultant we successfully achieved a design score of 85 points – well above the 70-point minimum required for a 6-Star rating. The Pool is all-electric, generates power from a 240KVA solar array, and is nestled into native landscaping designed to increase local biodiversity.

Strengthening multigenerational connections within the community has also been a big focus for the redeveloped Pool, with learn-to-swim, warm-water wellness, and interconnected outdoor spaces, including a dive pool and splash pad, playing an important part in the health and wellbeing of the local community, drawing in young and old alike, and inviting them to find their favourite space to be active.

Ultimately, the redevelopment of CMSP represents a reinvigoration of a much-loved community site, extending the Pool’s legacy for at least another 60 years, and enriching the local community by offering accessible, inclusive, and sustainable facilities for leisure, fitness, and social connection.