size wise-mar05 athletic business
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There is probably no building on a college or university campusas complicated to plan as a natatorium. Certainly, there are fewmore expensive on a square-foot basis, considering the natato-
riums associated mechanical systems, foundations and support
spaces such as multiple locker and shower rooms.
Beyond engineering, though, what makes the college natatorium
difficult to design is the sheer number and variety of users who will
have a stake in the final product. A natatorium can host competi-
tions in different sports (swimming, diving, synchronized swim-ming, water polo) and of different levels (Olympic, intercollegiate,
athleticbusiness.com March 2005 ATHLETIC BUSINESS 75
A 50-METER POOL WITH TWO MOVABLE
BULKHEADS ALLOWS A FULL RANGE OF
ACTIVITIES TO BE ACCOMMODATED.
hoo on t u
a 25-, 35- or 50-meter pool raises
a host of design, planning,
construction and operational issues.
F A C I L I T Y P L A N N I N G
BY BRAD MCCORD, NANCY FREEDMAN& RANDY MENDIOROZ
PhotoofUniversityofMarylandnatatoriumc
ourtesyofSasakiAssociatesInc.
A 50-METER POOL WITH TWO MOVABLE
BULKHEADS ALLOWS A FULL RANGE OF
ACTIVITIES TO BE ACCOMMODATED.
Choosing whether to construct
a 25-, 35- or 50-meter pool raises
a host of design, planning,
construction and operational issues.
F&
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76 ATHLETIC BUSINESS March 2005 athleticbusiness.com
secondary school), and will also see its
share of recreational and therapeutic swim-
mers. Indeed, with many pools financedthrough student referendums as part of
larger recreational complexes, a natatorium
will have to maximize recreational use (such
as free swim, water aerobics classes and
learn-to-swim programs) in order to meet
the needs of just about everyone, including
recreational users, faculty/staff
members and community mem-
bers.
Determining what size pool is
the most appropriate for your col-
lege or university, then, will hinge
on identifying the primary and
secondary users of the facility
and then planning for all the other
users, too. Since the pool will in
the most likely scenario be used
for competitions, the needs of
spectators as well as visiting
teams will also have to be consid-
ered. Outdoor club and special-
ized activities such as scuba/
water rescue, canoe/kayak and
synchronized swimming, along
with programs for physical therapy and
rehabilitation, will all vie for special dimen-
sions, temperatures, times and space withinthe natatorium.
An unfortunate outcome of this battle for
water rights is that a pool may be sized to
preclude certain activities unless careful
thought is given to the spaces programming
and priorities.
25 yards by
25 meters
PhotoofDartonCollegeHPERFacilitycourtesyofAquaticDesignGroup
25 yards by
25 meters
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78 ATHLETIC BUSINESS March 2005 athleticbusiness.com
Before you can determine the right pool
size, it is important to understand the asso-
ciated spaces necessary to support the
water itself. Not only will there be critical
adjacencies within pool-related spaces, the
pool will also likely be part of a larger recre-
ation or athletic facility, and certain global
adjacencies will be necessary to ensure
proper functioning.
A general rule of thumb is that the total net
area of the full natatorium for the bare essen-
tials (the pool and deck, changing rooms,
offices, equipment and storage areas) is equal
to three times the water surface area of the
pool. For competition venues, as well as
those with specific multiple uses, the overall
net natatorium area could increase to five
times the water surface area. The volume of
the space in which the pool is located is usu-
ally one of the largest in the building, and
should be considered a showpiece anactivity space that can be viewed from major
circulation areas or other activity spaces.
This design approach helps to enliven the
entire building and generates new user inter-
est in water sports.
The pool, the surrounding deck and the
spectator seating are the primary compo-
nents within the natatorium environment.
The pool is the largest single program ele-
ment. The second most important compo-
nent is the deck around the pool, which in
natatoriums is used primarily for instruc-
tion, coaching and preparation for activities
within the water. Appropriate dimensions
for the deck vary based on the number of
users and activities occurring in the pool
itself. At a minimum, 10 to 15 feet should be
allocated for the deck on all four sides
around the water for safety purposes. When
possible, entrances from public corridors
and locker rooms should be located at the
shallow end of the pool. The deck may need
to be wider at particular areas to accommo-
date spectators and teams, a diving program
or special out-of-water instructional space.
Competition pools usually include specta-
tor seating for a minimum of 300 to 500 peo-ple. For national meets, seating requirements
can range from 1,000 to 2,500, and for inter-
national events the number typically
increases to between 5,000 and 10,000. Spec-
tator seating can considerably increase the
building footprint. For programming pur-
What makes the
college natatoriumdifficult to design is
the sheer number and
variety of users who
will have a stake inthe final product.
t t
n
u t
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poses, 6 net square feet for each seat should
be anticipated.
Sometimes, spectators in street clothes
are isolated from the pool deck altogether.
This is typically achieved by providing
tiered seating at an upper level with either
no access or controlled access to the pool
deck. Seating should be situated along the
length of the swim course as well as in view
of diving for larger venues, this is typi-
cally on the two long sides of the pool. In
some cases, the width of the pool deck
might be influenced by the need to protect
spectator sight lines.
Support spaces for spectators such as
toilets and concessions should not be over-
looked. For example, when considering that
some codes require one toilet and one uri-
nal for every 75 men, one toilet for every 40
women, and one sink per 150 people, clearly
such spaces can easily grow quite large.
Since toilet counts are normally based on a
peak demand time (and with spectator
events not occurring on a daily basis), it is
best to try to use other adjacent facilities
within the building if possible. Specifics
related to seating and aisle dimensions, pro-
visions for handicapped seating, as well as
toilet counts, will be driven by local building
codes and the officials interpreting them, so
it is best to meet with them earlier rather
than later in the design process.
In order to ensure a clear, usable deck,
adequate storage must be provided, typi-
cally equal to 5 to 10 percent of
the pool and deck area. If there is
a large outdoor recreation pro-
gram, additional storage may benecessary for canoes, kayaks
and/or scuba tanks. This type of
storage room is usually best situ-
ated with direct access to the
buildings exterior so that vans
can pull up to load and unload for
weekend outings.
The size and quantity of locker
and changing rooms will be based
on the number and types of users.
Swimming/diving teams and gen-
eral users may share locker areas
or have dedicated spaces with
lockers, showers and toilets. Usu-
ally there are at least two chang-
ing rooms for visitors. All of these
rooms will need direct access to
the pool deck via a wet corridor,
as well as access from an interior
lobby along a dry corridor. If tow-
els or other equipment are going
to be issued, then a dedicated
equipment issue and laundryroom within the pool program
may be desirable. If not, circula-
tion routes to those facilities
located elsewhere in the building
should be considered.
Several other ancillary spaces
should be located directly off the
pool deck. For competitions, a
meet management room will
require unobstructed views to
both swimming and diving events.Ideally, this room will be raised
80 ATHLETIC BUSINESS March 2005 athleticbusiness.com
Sizing Things UpHow 9,000 square feet of water becomes 38,000 square feet of natatorium.
SAMPLE POOL PROGRAM NSF NOTES
Pool (35 meter by 25 yard) 8,925 one 4 movablebulkhead
Deck 6,720 15 perimeter
Spectator Seating (500 seats) 3,000 6 square feet per seat
Public Toilets carried in other areas ofbuilding
Concessions/Tickets carried in other areas ofbuilding
Aquatics Director Office 140
Pool Managers Office 120
Lifeguards Office 100
Meet Management Office 250
Wet Classroom 450 30 people @15 squarefeet per person
Mens General Use Locker/Changing 750 200 half-height lockers@ 12x15x36
Womens General Use Locker/Changing 800 200 half-height lockers@ 12x15x36
Mens Swim/Dive Lockers 500 team of 30 - full lockers
Womens Swim/Dive Lockers 500 team of 30 - full lockers
Visiting Team Locker / Shower Room 1 400 team of 30 - bench and
pegs only
Visiting Team Locker / Shower Room 2 400 team of 30 - bench andpegs only
Steam & Sauna 200
Pool Storage 800
Laundry 400
Outdoor Rec Storage 500
Filtration / Chemical 800
TOTAL NET SQUARE FEET (NSF) 25,755
TOTAL GROSS SQUARE FEET (NSFx1.47) 37,860Source:
SasakiAssociatesInc.
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above the pool deck to improve the view.
Offices for aquatic staff and lifeguards maybe located off the meet management room.
A wet classroom accommodating 20 to 30
people for instruction and coaching pro-
vides added flexibility for groups needing to
meet in wet gear near the pool. This room
should also have direct access to the deck.
There may also be a need to locate space
for sports medicine/physical therapy space
on the pool deck or in close proximity
including hydrotherapy tanks, whirlpools,
steam/sauna rooms or other types of reha-
bilitation space.
Filtration and chemical storage rooms
should be separate from the deck storage
rooms and are ideally located at pool level
and at grade for easy delivery of chemicals
and access to the pool. The area required
for this is approximately 10 percent of the
water surface area.
Once a clear understanding of the facil-
itys users and the types of planned activi-
ties are better anticipated, you are ready toexplore pool size and configuration. How-
ever, in order to determine the right pool
size, other considerations should be kept in
mind that will influence the assignable
square footage for your pool program.
There are opportunities to build in features
such as movable bulkheads or movable
pool bottoms in order to turn one pool into
several smaller or more-shallow bodies of
water. These special features allow a single
pool to run several simultaneous programs
that would otherwise be mutually exclusive,
all while minimizing additional
pool square footage. Remember
that every square foot of pool trans-
lates to a minimum of 3 square
feet of natatorium, at about $250
per square foot.
Movable bulkheads are typi-
cally 4 feet wide and run the width
of the pool. One bulkhead sub-
divides the pool into two areas;
two bulkheads into three. For an
up-front cost of $85,000 to
$100,000 for a single movable bulk-
head, plus the associated cost of
$225,000 for the extra 4 feet of
pool, one can achieve the pro-
gramming flexibility of an addi-
tional pool. Considering that an
additional hypothetical 45 feet of
pool (just enough to accommodate water
polo) would cost approximately $2.5 mil-lion, the movable bulkhead can make finan-
cial sense.
Similarly, the movable pool floor is
another option that provides a value-added
component to your operational program. A
45-by-75-foot section of movable floor costs
approximately $250,000. With this system,
the pool depth can provide a range of
depths depending on use from 6 inches
for toddler swim; 3 feet, 6 inches for instruc-
tional uses; and 6 feet, 6 inches to 7 feet for
water polo or competition swim.
While there are many different options
for pool configuration, the three most com-
mon sizes for hosting competitions are:
25 yards by 25 meters. The 25-yard-by-
25-meter pool is the most common pool
size for colleges and universities. It provides
the required dimensions for NCAA short
course (25-yard length) competition in one
direction, and exactly half of the long
course (50 meter) length in the other direc-
tion. Since this pool is almost square inplan, it can be used for lap swimming in
both directions. A depth of 6 feet, 6 inches
is recommended at all starting platform
locations, and 7 feet is ideal for water polo,
though keep in mind that a transition to a
depth of 3 feet, 6 inches at the shallow end
will be required for general-use swim. Rec-
ommended pool depths are referenced in
various swimming and diving rulebooks,
but local building and construction codes
will prevail.This pools great advantage is that it
82 ATHLETIC BUSINESS March 2005 athleticbusiness.com
25 yards by30 meters
PhotoofLoyolaCollegenatatoriumb
yMaxwellMacKenzie,
courtesyofSasakiAssociatesInc.
The total net area of
the full natatorium for
the bare essentials is
equal to three times
the water surfacearea of the pool.
25 yards by30 meters
t
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allows for many uses with minimal size.
However, it can only be used for two differ-
ent limited activities, such as lap swimmingand swim instruction, simultaneously. The
water surface area is 6,150 net square feet,
and with a 15-foot deck surrounding the
water, the pool and deck area jumps up to
around 11,750 net square feet. Using the
rule of thumb mentioned previously for
determining the overall net natatorium pro-
gram (three times the water surface area),
the area would be approximately 18,500 net
square feet.
25 yards by 50 meters. For large com-
petition venues, the 50-meter pool is the
most desirable. With two movable bulk-
heads, a full range of activities can be
accommodated lap swim, diving and
recreation, or team sports like water polo.
This pool allows for both long-course and
short-course setups. Although most confer-
ence and division meets can be run on the
short course, international and national
meets will require the long-course setup.
For competition swimming in newly con-
structed facilities, the preferred number of
lanes is eight at 9-foot widths. Having eight
lanes accommodates larger teams and
more than two schools at a time.
Running a short course in a 50-meter pool
allows for diving to occur simultaneously,
with approximately 40 feet of pool length at
a depth of 12 to 14 feet needed for 1- and
3-meter diving. A completely separate diving
well provides the flexibility for diving and
swimming events to be run at the same time
when a long course is necessary.The height of the space in which the pool
is located will depend primarily on
two components: the spectator
seating layout and the diving
boards or platforms. For a 10-
meter platform, 15 to 17 feet above
the platform to the ceiling is pre-
ferred, meaning that a clear height
from pool deck to ceiling would be
approximately 50 feet. A similar
depth of 15 to 17 feet is required
for the water under a 10-meter
platform. A 1-meter springboard,
meanwhile, will require a 16-foot-
5-inch clear height from the board
to the ceiling (about 20 feet from
deck to ceiling), and an 11- to 12-
foot water depth. In all cases,
increasing the height of the ceiling
increases both initial construction and long-
term operational costs (the larger the pool,
the larger volume of air required to dissi-pate pool chemicals sufficiently to ensure
clean air).
For a 25-yard-by-50-meter pool with two
movable bulkheads, the water surface area
is 12,900 net square feet. With a 15-foot deck
surrounding the water, the pool and deck
area increases to approximately 21,200 net
square feet. The overall net natatorium pro-
gram for this pool is approximately 39,000
net square feet.
25 yards by 30 meters (35-meter
option). A common compromise between
the first two pool sizes is the 30-meter pool,
sometimes referred to as the 25-meter
stretch. This size allows for multiple user
areas similar to the 50-meter pool, yet with
considerably less surface area. The main
drawback is that it does not allow for the
long-course event.
Movable bulkheads significantly increase
the utility of the 30-meter pool. A bulkhead
can segregate swimming and diving, or
swimming and water polo. It can also pro-vide a walking surface for meet officials
along the side of the short course and the
end of the course for water polo events.
An option to the 30-meter length is the 35-
meter pool this variation is ideal for insti-
tutions with popular water polo programs.
The minimum dimensions for water polo
are 45 feet by 25 yards (the preferred
dimensions are 66 feet by 25 yards). With
the increase in popularity of the floating
cage for competition water polo, this added5 meters is necessary for the entire playing
84 ATHLETIC BUSINESS March 2005 athleticbusiness.com
25 yards by
50 meters
PhotoofDesertBreezeRecreationCenter,LasVegas,courtesyofAqua
ticDesignGroup
Movable bulkheads orpool bottoms allow a
single pool to run
several simultaneous
programs that wouldotherwise be mutually
exclusive.
25 yards by
50 meters
lk
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area to maintain a minimum depth of 7 feet,
while still allowing for the transition to the
3-foot, 6-inch depth at the shallowest end.
For practice, or when wall goals are used,
the water polo field can be set up running
the 25-yard dimension (across the pool),
thereby allowing diving at the deep end and
lap swim or other shallow-end activities to
occur at the same time.
The depth of a 30- or 35-meter pool will
typically range from 3 feet, 6 inches to
14 feet. As with the 50-meter layout, two
1-meter and two 3-meter springboards are
necessary for competition diving events.
Platforms above 3 meters will require more
depth and clearance to the ceiling.
The water surface for a 35-meter pool
with one movable bulkhead is 9,000 net
square feet. With a 15-foot deck surround-
ing the water, the pool and deck area is
approximately 15,650 net square feet. Theoverall net natatorium program for this
pool is approximately 27,500 net square
feet, significantly smaller than the 50-meter
pool natatorium.
Although the pools described above
are the most common sizes and shapes for
collegiate programs in the United States,
there are an unlimited number of hybrid
configurations a pool could take to meet
particular program needs from L and
T shapes that provide diving notches, all
the way to freeform water bodies for leisure
pools.
In making your choice, remember that
there are other complex considerations.
Setup time for a variety of uses must be
accounted for in the operations schedule.
Larger pools require larger operations and
lifeguarding staffs. Smaller pools generally
need three lifeguards on duty during recre-
ational use; the 50-meter pool may require asmany as six. Ideal water temperature ranges
from 78 to 82 degrees for water polo and ath-
letics, but 84 to 88 degrees for recreation. A
single pool, even with bulkheads, can only
maintain one water temperature at a time.
Is there a most appropriate pool size for
your educational facility? You will need to
understand the user groups and the desired
activities, and be prepared to prioritize
among them, since multipurpose venues
usually compromise certain aspects of the
natatoriums utility. Balancing these para-
meters with construction and operating
budgets will usually result in several
options, each of which carries advantages
and disadvantages.
The reality for many colleges and univer-
sities in North America is that the campus
pool is a shared facility. If in fact the pool is
intended to be a multipurpose facility, then
overall flexibility is key in the planning and
programming phase. The specific balance
between program and scheduling require-ments, and financial and physical con-
straints, will determine the ideal pool size
for a specific institution.s
Brad McCord (bmccord@sasaki.com) is a
senior associate and Nancy Freedman is a
principal with Sasaki Associates Inc., 64
Pleasant St., Watertown, MA 02472, 617/926-
3300. Randy Mendioroz (randy@aquatic
designgroup.com) is a principal with Aquatic
Design Group, 1950 Kellogg Ave., Carlsbad,CA 92008, 760/438-8400.
86 ATHLETIC BUSINESS March 2005 athleticbusiness.com
Diagram
scourtesyofSasakiAssociatesInc.
Measurefor Measure
The three mostpopular sizes of
competition pools,by the numbers.
f r
The three mostpopular sizes of
competition pools,by the numbers.
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