The bold colors of this facility draw children's attention, but the forms are inspired by an unexpected architectural icon
1 MIN READ
Josh Meister Photography
1
of 4
Josh Meister Photography
To adhere to the design aesthetic, the lazy river, water sprays,…
To adhere to the design aesthetic, the lazy river, water sprays, and water slides were placed at the front of the facility. To blend with the setting, natural stone is used at the lobby entry, with wall colors to match. A large window area helps integrate the outdoors with inside, while providing natural day lighting. The curved, wave-like roof form evokes water and helps soften the building so it melds into the tree-lined surroundings.
Josh Meister Photography
The 18,000-square-foot outdoor space includes a leisure pool wit…
The 18,000-square-foot outdoor space includes a leisure pool with lazy river, two water slides for different age groups, water sprays and a zero-entry wading pool. The venue was created to support learn-to-swim programs, aquatic therapy sessions and aquatic exercise, as well as competitive and recreational swimming by high schools and swim clubs. Outdoor lockers and Wi-Fi add convenience. Early on, the designers worked closely with the county to set specific programming goals, to save the time and money needed for change orders and re-evaluations during construction.
Josh Meister Photography
The 46,298-square-foot enclosure was built before the pools so c…
The 46,298-square-foot enclosure was built before the pools so contractors could work in dry conditions. As much as possible, the pools were elevated above the large amount of subsurface rock to minimize the need for extraction. A "fast" 10-lane, 50-meter pool with a movable bulkhead was created using water-saving technology and innovative gutter and filtration systems. The designers placed support columns between the pool deck and another four-lane, 25-yard therapy/warm-up pool, to create separate areas while allowing easy access.
Josh Meister Photography
Say the designers: “The most impactful tool in our toolbox in …
Say the designers: “The most impactful tool in our toolbox in regards to budgeting and cost-saving measures were our programming meetings. During programing [the aquatic designer], alongside the architect, identified aquatic programming goals and objectives for the new aquatic center. From these programming meetings, designers drafted detailed designs to accommodate the programs. By ensuring that all of the user needs were met we saved time and money by not having change orders, by not having to reevaluate where we are going and what we wanted to achieve.”
Architect/Landscape Design: Cooper Carry
Aquatic Designer: Water Technology Inc.
General Contractor: New South Construction
Pool/Spa/Waterfeature Contractor: Aqua Design
Civil Engineers: Ross Consulting Engineers
Structural Engineers: Uzun + Case
MEP Engineers: Johnson Spellman & Assoc.
Geotechnical/Testing Services: NOVA
The colorful, energetic facility was meant to embrace the philosophy behind Frank Lloyd Wright’s Fallingwater. Though the color scheme vastly diverges from that architectural masterpiece, the design goals were the same: to fit into the natural hillside and integrate the outdoor environment with the interior. The curved, wave-like roof form evokes water and helps soften the building so it melds into the tree-lined surroundings.
Rebecca Robledo is deputy editor of Pool & Spa News and Aquatics International. She is an award-winning trade journalist with more than 25 years experience reporting on and editing content for the pool, spa and aquatics industries. She specializes in technical, complex or detail-oriented subject matter with an emphasis in design and construction, as well as legal and regulatory issues. For this coverage and editing, she has received numerous awards, including four Jesse H. Neal Awards, considered by many to be the “Pulitzer Prize of Trade Journalism.”
We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. However you may visit Cookie Settings to provide a controlled consent.
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
Cookie
Duration
Description
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics
11 months
This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional
11 months
The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary
11 months
This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others
11 months
This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance
11 months
This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy
11 months
The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
wordpress_test_cookie
session
This cookie is used to check if the cookies are enabled on the users' browser.
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Cookie
Duration
Description
_ga
2 years
The _ga cookie, installed by Google Analytics, calculates visitor, session and campaign data and also keeps track of site usage for the site's analytics report. The cookie stores information anonymously and assigns a randomly generated number to recognize unique visitors.
_gat
1 minute
This cookie is installed by Google Universal Analytics to restrain request rate and thus limit the collection of data on high traffic sites.
_gat_UA-
1 minute
A variation of the _gat cookie set by Google Analytics and Google Tag Manager to allow website owners to track visitor behaviour and measure site performance. The pattern element in the name contains the unique identity number of the account or website it relates to.
_gid
1 day
Installed by Google Analytics, _gid cookie stores information on how visitors use a website, while also creating an analytics report of the website's performance. Some of the data that are collected include the number of visitors, their source, and the pages they visit anonymously.
CONSENT
2 years
YouTube sets this cookie via embedded youtube-videos and registers anonymous statistical data.
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
Cookie
Duration
Description
loc
never
AddThis sets this geolocation cookie to help understand the location of users who share the information.
OAGEO
session
OpenX sets this cookie to avoid the repeated display of the same ad.
OAID
1 year
Cookie set to record whether the user has opted out of the collection of information by the AdsWizz Service Cookies.
VISITOR_INFO1_LIVE
5 months 27 days
A cookie set by YouTube to measure bandwidth that determines whether the user gets the new or old player interface.
YSC
session
YSC cookie is set by Youtube and is used to track the views of embedded videos on Youtube pages.
yt-remote-connected-devices
never
YouTube sets this cookie to store the video preferences of the user using embedded YouTube video.
yt-remote-device-id
never
YouTube sets this cookie to store the video preferences of the user using embedded YouTube video.
![Say the designers: “The most impactful tool in our toolbox in regards to budgeting and cost-saving measures were our programming meetings. During programing [the aquatic designer], alongside the architect, identified aquatic programming goals and objectives for the new aquatic center. From these programming meetings, designers drafted detailed designs to accommodate the programs. By ensuring that all of the user needs were met we saved time and money by not having change orders, by not having to reevaluate where we are going and what we wanted to achieve.”](https://www.aquaticsintl.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/1139834474-dreamdesigns2014-cherokeecountyaquaticscomplex-4-tcm128-2152171.jpg)
