Issue 137 – July 2023
RE: MEMBERS
Celebrating Park and Recreation Month with the West Hollywood Aquatic and Recreation Center
“The Aquatic and Recreation Center is a bustling hub of community in West Hollywood with sports, activities, community meetings, and civic events,” said City of West Hollywood Mayor Sepi Shyne. “The grand staircase that rises out of the grassy lawn in West Hollywood Park ascends to two incredible rooftop pools with captivating views across the metropolitan area. The large-scale multi-sport court is already brimming with evening sports leagues nearly every day. It’s thrilling to be part of creating a top-tier public recreation facility, and it’s exciting to see people from every facet of our community enjoying it each day as part of staying healthy, active, and connected to the community.”
The new 75,000-square-foot space boasts an Olympic-sized swimming pool, diving platforms, dedicated water polo and synchronized swimming areas, and a recreational pool. It also has top-notch fitness amenities, including a modern gymnasium equipped with cutting-edge exercise equipment, fitness studios for group classes, outdoor exercise areas, a large-scale multi-sport court, spacious multipurpose rooms that serve as hubs for community gatherings, events, and educational programs, and a public access TV studio. The complex also includes two dog parks, picnic areas, art and cultural spaces, and the preservation of a neon sign of a diver.
The ARC created a wide array of design and engineering challenges. Connecting several city recreational elements in one, the building includes a sky bridge over the road that links the new facility to a community building with meeting rooms, a daycare center, and staff offices. Engineers designed a two-way truss system to suspend and support both pools above the multisport gym and maximize space on the level below. In addition, a lift system within the garage doubles the parking capacity on the first level of the facility.
“The Aquatic and Recreation Center (ARC) serves many distinct purposes. It combines leading-edge engineering advances with the latest technological innovation,” said City of West Hollywood Director of Public Works Steve Campbell. “With distinct zones for community meeting rooms, a sliding glass wall that opens an indoor event space to outdoor gathering space for civic functions, to the rooftop pools and indoor sport court, the ARC meets many community needs at once. In combining sports, swimming, and athletics into a new footprint, the project also adds enhanced green space in West Hollywood Park, where there were formerly aging single-story buildings. The approach means more park space for our community.”
In addition to LEED certification, the ARC has received multiple honors, including:
- The American Public Works Association (APWA) Southern California Chapter 2022 Project of the Year Award in the Buildings category
- The Honors Award for commercial design; and a C.O.T.E. Award for resiliency and sustainability in design from the American Institute of Architects Orange County Chapter
We commend the City of West Hollywood for completing the ARC. The facility is an example of the possibilities when a design process is built around creating a facility that supports various community interests. It is a shining example of the positive impact that parks and recreation can have on a community’s well-being and quality of life.
For more information about the West Hollywood Aquatic and Recreation Center, please visit the city’s website.
Photo by Jon Viscott courtesy of City of West Hollywood
< Back to Full Issue Print Article