The $23 million Penticton Community Centre renovation addressed a growing demand for recreation amenities. The facility, expanded thanks to grant funding, features a Canadian twist on current trends. It now includes a 25-meter lap/competition pool; water slides; a zero-depth entry leisure pool with a tot slide, bubble pit and lazy river; and a large, universally accessible hot pool. There are a number of spa-like amenities common in European leisure aquatics facilities.
The façade is designed to blend in with the surrounding mountains, and inside the tone is set with abundant natural light and large-format deck tiles, a cost-effective, low-maintenance option not common in Canadian aquatics facilities.
The Penticton Aquatic Centre expansion was conceived as a legacy project. Materials, configurations, and construction strategies were chosen to ensure that the building is sustainable not just environmentally, but socially and economically as well. The project is LEED Silver certified, and developers endeavored to go above and beyond these requirements wherever possible.
Amenities are gender-friendly and meet current health and accessibility requirements. The leisure pool and hot pool offer beach entries and ramps for persons with disabilities, and the design added a large family/universal changing room. This space features low banks of 5-foot-high lockers offering views into the pool and around the room. It is lined with private changing cubicles, providing safety and security for all users.
