Northern Arena Facility, Warkworth, Auckland

Following the success of the Northern Arena Learn to Swim facility in Silverdale, Auckland; the CREATE team have been engaged as lead consultants for a second facility in Warkworth located in the far north of the Auckland region. The facility is positioned to cater to the increasing population density of the Walkworth and Matakana arena.

The project consists of an aquatic pool hall focused on providing learn to swim teaching, dry sports including gym and group fitness, administration and support facilities.

The design response was to create a rational building form that combines both wet and dry sports into a single structure and solves the technical interfacing issues that occur between humid aquatic environments and adjacent dry spaces.

The configuration of the floor plan was driven by the client’s desire for a functional layout allowing clear interfacing between the user groups. A centralised entry and front of house node creates clear way finding and allows passive monitoring from staff.

By utilising our knowledge across the various design disciplines, we could inform key design decisions early in the process that provided maximum value for the client’s investment.

A simple palette of durable materials both internal and external provides a low maintenance solution.

The project is currently on hold pending the implementation of land development, required prior to establishment of the new facility.

Key Features:

25x17.5m Learn to Swim Pool
12x10m Preschool Pool
12x10m Babies Pool
New dry sports facility including gym, cardio and RPM
New reception, administration and changing rooms
Café and retail

Project Details:

Client: Northern Arena
Location: Warkworth, Auckland
Role: Lead Consultant, Full Design Services
Status: Building Consent

Key Personnel:

Bryan Greig (Director), Project Lead, Oversight
Abdus Hansrod (Director), DesignLead, Architecture
Jonathan Lim (Architectural Graduate), Documentation

Client Representative:

Matthew Saunders
Director
Northern Arena