The project merges museum and aquatic centre, connecting two distinct yet thematically linked functions, making aquatic culture simultaneously experiential in its live and curated form.
This project reimagines the architecture museum as a reflection of place, focusing on Australia’s aquatic heritage as central to its identity and culture.
The project connects the museum and aquatic centre at ground level with galleries, café, and pools, while the first floor houses archives, labs, offices, and public learning spaces.
Analysis of Sydney’s aquatic centres demonstrates that the site has sufficient spatial capacity to accommodate a combined aquatic centre and museum.
The existing 60 m-wide building extension is lifted to house swimming pools, enabling integration of the aquatic and museum programmes within the building’s structure.
The sectional model illustrates how the new aquatic centre spatially connects to the existing building, highlighting the interaction between museum and aquatic functions.