Beyond the turnstiles and the red and yellow flags, the future of Australia’s ageing public pools and surf lifesaving clubs remains at the mercy of rising energy costs and increasing climate change threats. Warren and Mahoney is harnessing regenerative practices in the revival of our aquatic assets by futureproofing them for years to come.

Australian summer memories are awash with a nostalgic haze of water, sun and sand. If not the recollections of holidays spent dotted along our covetous coastline, they were the long days spent by the local pool – where we learned to swim and took refuge from the heat until our fingers furrowed.

Today, there are more than 1300 government-owned public pools and 12,000 beaches over some 52,000 kilometres of coastline upholding these seasonal traditions. According to Royal Life Saving Australia (RLSA), nearly half (500) of Australian public pools will reach their life span by the end of the decade at a cost of $8 billion to replace. Not just a place to swim, local aquatic centres are a nucleus of their communities and contribute more than $8 billion a year to the Australian economy.

With the average public pool built in 1968, RLSA estimates that should 10 percent of aquatic centres fail to be renewed by 2030, the social, health and economic cost is likely to surpass $910 million annually. Among the threats to the ongoing availability and sustainability of our ageing public facilities are rising energy costs and labour shortages, says RLSA.

Similarly, ageing surf lifesaving clubs – another quintessential Australian typology – face similar threats, compounded by the relentless forces of climate change on our coastlines.

Warren and Mahoney (WAM), an international firm with seven studios across the Asia-Pacific region, is rethinking the future of aquatic recreation facilities and surf lifesaving clubs across Australasia.

In early 2024, the firm unveiled the Northcote Aquatic and Recreation Centre (NARC), Australia’s first dedicated, fully electric 6 Star Green Star aquatic facility, which earned a wave of awards.

WAM is known for designing spaces that operate at the intersection of culture, technology and sustainability – creating efficient, future-focused assets that minimise environmental impact while meeting the needs of their communities.

Studio principal Daryl Maguire says regenerative design lies at the core of this approach. “Opportunities to develop are also opportunities to regenerate,” Maguire says.

Regenerative design is a whole-systems design approach, which seeks to create buildings and precincts that are not only sustainable but actively contribute to the health and wellbeing of the ecosystems and communities they occupy.

Developed in response to the City of Darebin’s declared state of climate emergency, NARC renews a beloved community asset in Melbourne’s northern suburbs, which Maguire describes as “the local beach” for residents.

On the façade, a motif of a sacred kingfisher emerges from the brickwork. Maguire says the kingfisher only nests “where ecological balance exists”, which is “symbolic of the regenerative intention of the site”.

This understanding of the local setting and its fauna emerged through Indigenous consultation with the Wurundjeri people, facilitated by WAM’s First Nations design partner, Jefa Greenaway.

“By taking a regenerative approach that is consistent with Indigenous principles, there’s less of an environmental impact, which is something all players in the built environment need to be committed to,” Maguire says.

As one of the most energy-intensive building typologies, aquatic centres require significant energy to maintain pool temperatures and conditions, allowing them to operate year round, in varied seasonal conditions and across long hours of the day.

NARC’s all-electric design achieves net-zero emissions through 100 percent renewable energy procurement, Maguire says. The design team’s focus on zero waste, water efficiency and the use of natural materials — including 300 cubic metres of mass timber used in the striking main swimming halls — earned the facility its 6 Star Green Star rating.

A solar panel array powers the 8100-square-metre facility’s electric water and air heating systems, reducing strain on council funds and boosting energy efficiency.

“Being able to play an active role in the regeneration of a local environment by reducing emissions and increasing biodiversity is important to us,” Maguire says.

Within eight weeks of opening, NARC’s membership had soared past 8000, with nearly double the expected enrolments in learn-to-swim programs – a testament to the site’s increased social cohesion in the City of Darebin.

Cultural relevance and social equity

In South Australia, the former Adelaide Aquatic Centre was another swim facility reaching its end of practical life, prompting the South Australian Government to prioritise its redevelopment. Designed by WAM in association with JPE Design Studio, the aquatic centre, which is under construction and due to open in 2025, includes a 50-metre indoor pool, a 25-metre outdoor pool, a dedicated indoor rehabilitation pool, a learn-to-swim pool, an outdoor lagoon, indoor and outdoor water play areas, gym and fitness facilities, café, landscaped areas and inclusive amenities.

Like NARC, the Adelaide Aquatic Centre will be fully electric and use low-carbon materials. In a major regenerative feat, the redevelopment also returns 1000 square metres of land back to Adelaide Park Lands.

WAM and JPE Design Studio worked closely with local Kaurna man Karl ‘Winda’ Telfer of Yellaka to significantly inform the masterplan for the site and its materiality, which “talks deeply of place”.

“Both aquatic centres are so much more reflective of their natural places than they would have been without a co-design approach,” Maguire says.

“Sustainability lies at the heart of Indigenous design thinking: taking only what you need and leaving the land in the same – or better – condition for the next generation. For every project we engage with the First Nations guardians of the land, our projects are better for it.”

Maguire says that embedding sustainable operation initiatives ladders up to the idea of “continual regeneration of the environment”, which “Indigenous people have been doing for millennia”.

Balancing nature and design

WAM Australia’s head of design Barrington Gohns underscores the firm’s commitment to understanding and honouring the land.

“By gaining a deep understanding of the land, we can create spaces that not only serve the community but also give back to the natural environment,” Gohns says. “It’s about finding a balance between honouring Country and designing in a way that connects with and enhances the local surroundings.”

In Sydney’s Eastern Suburbs, WAM, in association with Greenaway Architects, Oculus and Greenshoot Consulting, is designing the new Bronte Surf Life Saving Club. The project, described by WAM as “a symbol of harmony between built form and the natural landscape”, is a meaningful expression of community identity and connection with Country. The building will be concealed within the sandstone cliff, featuring a green, activated roofscape.

Designed for optimum resilience to sustain inevitable coastal changes for generations to come, the club features passive ventilation and the use of recycled materials, ensuring minimal environmental impact.

In 2021, WAM reinterpreted the Mona Vale Surf Life Saving Club amenities building on Sydney’s Northern Beaches.

Its robust material palette, featuring timber and textured raw concrete, was selected to reflect the natural environment, withstand exposure to the elements, and minimise maintenance costs in its dune setting.

“These clubs [Bronte and Mona Vale] aren’t just about safety on the beach; they are essential community hubs. They host everything from local events and business meetings to recreational activities, all while supporting local industries and events,” Gohns says. “They’re well-known and well-loved gathering places, open to everyone, and serve as true community landmarks.”

Coastal safety and climate change

Australia’s beaches saw more than 650 million visitors in the past year with 258 coastal deaths and nearly 9000 rescues, according to Surf Life Saving Australia’s 2024 National Coastal Safety Report. With more than 45,000 volunteers and 314 affiliated clubs, Surf Life Saving Australia represents the largest volunteer program of its kind globally.

Gohns notes that while surf lifesaving clubs are positioned to serve beachgoers, they face increasing threats from climate change. Rising sea levels and more extreme weather events are forcing clubs to balance resilience with functionality.

“Climate change is becoming a real concern for many existing surf lifesaving clubs,” Gohns says. “While they’re positioned in prime spots to serve and protect the beaches, these locations also leave them vulnerable to rising sea levels and increased water impact. This raises some big questions around resilience, and there are definitely mixed opinions on how to address it.”

Relocating a club to higher ground might protect it from future threats, but Gohns says it could also place the club too far from the beach to effectively serve its purpose.

“It’s a delicate balance between staying close enough to the beach to do the job and building with the future in mind,” Gohns says.

Maguire says greater variances in temperature will have a bigger impact on the requirements of recreational assets and their façades into the future.

“When designing civic projects to serve many generations, you have to think long-term,” he says. This means using resilient materials and adopting design methods that harness natural elements while also shielding them from environmental forces – be it floods, tidal surges, storms, fire or heat.

“These buildings need to be of high performance. With more extreme weather events, we’ll need more robust buildings.”

Only through regenerative reinterpretations, can our surf clubs and public pools emerge as spaces where people feel connected — both to the location and to each other, Gohns says.

By safeguarding their existence against our unpredictable climate, these clubs can continue their role as beach guardians and learn-to-swim hubs, serving as “real community assets” that “enrich people’s lives and the environments they depend on”.

Lead image: Northcote Aquatic and Recreation Centre (NARC) is the first dedicated, fully electric 6 Star Green Star aquatic facility in Australia. Photo: Tom Roe

This article originally appeared in issue 120 of inside magazine. Grab your copy here.