Project Spotlights: Aquatic Centres by Peddle Thorp Architects
Peddle Thorp Architects delivers high-performance sport facilities that balance elite competition with community wellbeing. Across Australia and New Zealand, our work demonstrates our ability to integrate sustainability, cultural connection, and adaptability.
When the Olympic Games arrive in Brisbane in 2032, aquatic sport will form one of the defining spectacles. Swimming, diving and water polo all demand facilities that perform at the highest standard while also contributing to a lasting civic legacy. Peddle Thorp Architects has a long history of delivering aquatic centres that combine design excellence, community value and operational durability.
Our body of work demonstrates the ability to create venues that serve both elite performance and everyday community life. The following four projects illustrate the breadth of our expertise.
Yawa Aquatic and Leisure Centre, Rosebud, Victoria
Yawa has been the cultural and wellness destination for the Mornington Peninsula. The design acknowledges the Bunurong and Boon Wurrung people through naming and interpretive elements, ensuring the building is grounded in place and identity.
The facility includes a 50-metre Olympic-sized pool, learn-to-swim water, therapy and warm water pools, as well as spa, sauna and steam amenities. A fully equipped fitness suite and group exercise studios extend the offer beyond the aquatic environment. Sustainability underpins the project, with energy efficiency and water conservation embedded from the outset.
Wurdi Baierr Aquatic and Recreation Centre, Torquay, Victoria
Situated in a coastal setting renowned for its surf culture, the Surf Coast Aquatic and Health Centre has been designed to sit comfortably within its environment. Natural light, materiality and landscape integration define the architectural character of the facility.
The centre incorporates swimming pools for leisure and competition, health and fitness spaces, and a suite of wellness areas. The architecture reflects cultural connection and environmental responsiveness, ensuring that the building is not only highly functional but also deeply contextual.
Parakiore Recreation and Sport Centre, Christchurch, New Zealand
The Parakiore Recreation and Sport Centre in Christchurch will be one of the Southern Hemisphere’s largest indoor sports and aquatic venues. Designed by Peddle Thorp Architects and WAM, it serves both elite athletes and the local community with a 50-metre competition pool, diving and learn-to-swim facilities, leisure water areas, and extensive indoor courts. Spaces for fitness, group exercise, and rehabilitation make it a complete hub for sport and wellness. Sustainability is central, with energy-efficient systems, eco-friendly materials, and water conservation embedded in the design. As part of Christchurch’s urban renewal, Parakiore sets a new benchmark for inclusive, high-quality recreation.
Melbourne Sports and Aquatic Centre, Melbourne, Victoria
The Melbourne Sports and Aquatic Centre, known as MSAC, is one of the most comprehensive sporting venues in the Southern Hemisphere. It combines Olympic-grade swimming and diving facilities with multi-sport courts, training amenities and community leisure spaces.
The aquatic offer includes competition pools, leisure water, and a fifty-four metre outdoor pool with a movable boom, providing flexibility for multiple uses. MSAC has hosted major international competitions and continues to serve as a benchmark for adaptability and integration. Its expansion over time illustrates the long-term resilience and responsiveness of the original architectural vision.
Looking Forward
The Brisbane Games present an opportunity not only to showcase sporting excellence but also to establish a civic legacy that will endure for decades. Aquatic centres will be central to that legacy. Across projects in Rosebud, Torquay, Christchurch and Melbourne, Peddle Thorp has delivered venues that accommodate elite competition while serving as inclusive community hubs. Each project illustrates a commitment to sustainability, cultural responsiveness and long-term adaptability.
Taken together, these works affirm Peddle Thorp’s capacity to shape aquatic architecture that is technically rigorous, socially meaningful and internationally credible. With this foundation, the practice is well placed to contribute to Brisbane’s Olympic story and the enduring architecture it will require.
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