Coventry City Council has revealed plans for a £36.7m indoor waterpark in its city centre, with designs for the grand development by Faulkner Browns Architects and Water Technology Inc (WTI).
The UK development will include a mix of race slides, flumes, wave pools, rapids and wet play equipment. Newcastle-based Faulkner Browns are also developing the wider leisure centre, which will include a 25m (82ft) swimming pool, a gym, climbing wall, squash courts, health suites, dance studio and a spa.
The new facility will replace Coventry’s existing Grade II-listed 1966 central swimming pool, which will close once the new structure opens in 2019.
Work on the designs is already underway,, with contributions also coming from Appleyard and Trew, who are acting as surveyors and project managers; Desco, who are offering mechanical and engineering services; and Engenuiti, who are handling structural engineering.
“We have been able to put together a high profile design team with an international reputation,” said councillor Kevin Maton, cabinet member for Business, Enterprise and Employment. “We were clear in the brief that we want a landmark building – appropriate for our city centre – not the usual type of design used out of town in other areas.
“We were equally tough in our expectations for inside – the water slides and features need to have the wow factor as we expect to draw people into the city centre from across the city and the wider region. Faulkner Browns and WTI are leaders in their fields and I am confident that they will design something that is as visually impressive on the outside as it is exciting and fun to use on the inside.”
The council has forecast 1.3 million people will visit the new centre on an annual basis. The development is part of an initiative to make Coventry a ‘top 10 city’ in Britain again, revamping the town centre with offerings outside of retail.
