Westwood Family Aquatic Center

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Project Type

Location

Norman, Oklahoma

Year Completed

2018

Nestled beside a local golf course and tennis facility, the Westwood Family Aquatic Center provides 22,581 square feet of water surface area packed with amenities to cool down and have fun during the hot summer months. Developed over several years after a parks master plan, feasibility study, and a strong public effort, it was clear that a new aquatic center would need to be a place where families of all ages, including young adults, could find a space of their own.

With a population of 122,000, as well as being home to the University of Oklahoma, the City of Norman continues to grow at a steady pace. To meet the needs of a large group of young and active citizens (roughly 20,000 undergraduate students), as well as a strong competitive swim team, programming was a very important aspect of the design process.

Amenities were designed and selected to emphasize recreation and exercise while also support the community’s needs for competition and training. The park hosts a six lane 50-meter lap pool that doubles as a large recreational pool. This area contains one meter and three meter diving boards, multiple points of ADA access, and various large slides, floatables, climbing walls, and open swim areas. In addition to the lap pool, patrons are greeted with an interactive wet deck complete with a play structure and dumping bucket and a large wading pool near the facility's entrance. The wading pool encourages gentle activities with small scale water features such as a themed toddler slide, tall vertical spray buckets, and smaller ground sprays. With two large shaded water benches, this space gives adults an area to socialize with other young families, while also creating a natural barrier for little ones from deeper water.

A key request from the city was for features that would challenge patrons of varying ages, inviting the potential for risks and the rewards typically associated with such thrills. To accomplish this, a 500 foot long lazy river was designed with an integrated plunge area, large slides, sprays, waterfalls, a water walk, and an action channel. When not in use for family recreation, this area is also a great training amenity where swimmers can walk or swim against the strong current. A large bathhouse, complete with a large concession area, locker rooms, and multiple shade areas ensure a fun and safe family day at the aquatic center.


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