Opened in 2010, the West Irving Aquatic Center was designed to complement another facility on the other side of town. In designing the aquatic center a major challenge was the site layout. The selected site is bisected by a deep creek, effectively limiting where a new facility could go. As a result designers created a unique footprint that works with the site and is anchored by a large clocktower, visible from outside and inside the facility.
In planning for aquatic amenities, designers had to balance site challenges with the needs of the community. The goal was not to create a space that appears too forced or engineered. Aquatic, architectural and landscape design are seamlessly integrated into a cohesive whole. Aquatic amenities include a 4-lane lap pool cascading across a wet deck into a leisure pool with zero-beach entry, and current channel. A climbing wall, a water slide tower, interactive play features and a separate tot pool round out the mix.
Shade structures like the one over the tot pool, and terraced deck space create a sense of visual drama and make the $4.1 million West Irving Aquatic Center unique.