An artist’s impression of a reconfigured Big Splash site. Images: SQC Group.
Just what could a revitalised Big Splash aquatic centre look like?
More than just a pool and water slides, according to a local architecture firm.
SQC Group, a Belconnen-based multi-disciplinary practice providing architecture, interior design, access and heritage expertise, has put its creative mind to developing a bold master plan to transform Big Splash into a dynamic, year-round community precinct.
It says their speculative proposal aims to preserve the site’s heritage as a beloved local landmark while introducing new facilities that promote health, recreation and social connection.
And make it financially viable.
The key is to use a translucent, UV-protected roof over a relocated pool, along with retractable walls and fences, to give the site flexibility for seasonal transitions.
The master plan reconfigures the site as a community, sports and health precinct, including a new, covered 50-metre pool while retaining and refurbishing the existing slides and pirate cave play area.
During summer, the precinct would operate as an indoor/outdoor pool centre, integrating proposed landscaped spaces into its activities.
But in winter, the pool would transition to an indoor facility, with surrounding spaces activated for public and community events.
SQC Group’s proposal introduces a series of low-rise, mixed-use buildings designed to accommodate complementary services, including a hydrotherapy pool, wellness facilities, child care, and professional medical and community support suites.
It says these additions ensure the precinct stays active throughout the year, creating a hub for sport, recreation and wellbeing.
Complementary retail and commercial offerings, including a restaurant/cafe, also ensure daily activation of the precinct.
The plan also strengthens links to nearby assets, including sports fields, tennis courts, gyms and the Jamison Centre, improving pedestrian connectivity and enhancing the overall community experience.
But the proposal avoids residential apartments or hotel development, focusing instead on community-oriented uses.
Year-round use and commercial viability: SQC Group’s Big Splash Master Plan.
Architecture principal Sean Hogan, like many other Canberrans, has fond memories of Big Splash, first as a young person and then later as a father taking his kids.
Integral to those memories are the slides, which is why they are kept in the master plan.
“I remember the excitement of going there. I’d never seen something like that before,” Mr Hogan said.
“They’re the assets that are connected to the memory of Canberrans. I think they’re vital to try to keep and refurbish. It’s part of the character of the site.”
Mr Hogan said the firm was concerned about the future of the Macquarie site, which had a sense of community ownership.
“It’s sad to see community assets sort of dwindle away and become private apartment projects or hotels,” he said.
Suggestions that the government might take back the site if the owner did not propose an appropriate development prompted the firm to consider what might be possible, to spark discussion and maybe sway the owner.
SQC Group has no connection to the owner, Translink Management Group, and is not involved with any other developer looking at the site.
Mr Hogan said moving the pool closer to the water park would open up the site to other uses.
“The reality of these sites, and I know people don’t like the idea of it being commercial use or retail use, but you need something on the site to generate some income,” he said.
Mr Hogan believed Canberra had a problem with precincts that were always predicated on apartments or hotels, so this was also an experiment to see how it could be done with other uses.
It didn’t need to be done all at once; it could be achieved in stages, starting with the pool relocation and new pool amenities to provide all-year-round activity.
It was also envisaged as an integrated part of the surrounding community assets.
Mr Hogan, who has a background in and passion for master planning, said there was insufficient attention paid to identifying and articulating the potential of sites in Canberra.
“Architects should be doing more of this sort of speculative work,” he said.
“We currently are quite reactive in Canberra. Clients come to us with a brief, and we just fulfil the brief rather than looking at a problem in Canberra and suggesting opportunities.”
