Western Harbour Tunnel, Sydney, NSW, Australia
Aurecon is transforming Sydney Harbour, replacing dredging with TBM tunnel engineering to deliver a faster, safer and more sustainable second harbour crossing.
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For decades, the original Adelaide Aquatic Centre served as a hub for community recreation, health and sport, welcoming over 700,000 visitors annually. After reaching the end of its useful life, the facility was reimagined as a modern, inclusive and sustainable aquatic centre for the South Australian community.
The challenge was not simply to replace an ageing facility, but to create a legacy facility asset embedded within Adelaide’s heritage-listed Park Lands, enhancing community connection, promoting health and wellbeing, and exemplifying environmental stewardship.
"Aurecon's strong technical capability, practical problem solving and collaborative approach contributed significantly to the project’s overall success."
Terry Kildea, Senior Project Manager, Sarah Constructions
The $135 million Adelaide Aquatic Centre is one of Australia’s first large-scale all-electric aquatic facilities, demonstrating how integrated engineering reduces energy demand while delivering a high-performing and accessible community asset.
Aurecon’s integrated building services and facade engineering transformed the project's sustainability ambitions into an operationally efficient, fully electric aquatic facility.
“Aurecon has been a trusted and highly effective partner on this project. Their strong technical capability, practical problem solving and collaborative approach contributed significantly to the project’s technical quality, sustainability outcomes and overall success," said Terry Kildea, Senior Project Manager, Sarah Constructions.
Aurecon’s integrated engineering approach helped solve some of the project’s most complex challenges. Rather than treating heating, cooling and ventilation as independent systems, Aurecon designed an interconnected building services strategy that captures, transfers and reuses energy.
Heat recovered from warm, humid exhaust air, and cooling systems are redirected to heat the pools, while heat generated by cooling gym and fitness spaces is also recovered and reused. Design modelling showed reduced annual pool and ventilation heating demand from approximately 2,500 MWh of gas to around 500 MWh of electricity.
During periods of heat recovery, the HVAC plant requires no supplementary heating, demonstrating that the facility’s low-carbon design intent has translated into real-world operational performance.
The centre operates without fossil fuels and is capable of running on 100% renewable electricity, replacing the gas-reliant operating model of the former facility. Facade design and services systems were optimised for energy efficiency, thermal performance and user comfort.
Aurecon’s engineering integrates heat recovery, adaptive environmental controls, a 450 kW solar PV system and water reuse strategies to minimise operational energy demand. Design-stage modelling demonstrated a 55.7% reduction in energy consumption compared with a standard reference building, excluding on-site renewables.
Water demand is also reduced through a state-of-the-art treatment, filtration and heating system that minimises potable water supplied to the facility while reducing soiled water discharged. Greywater from pool plant bleed-off, approximately 6,972 m³ annually, is treated and filtered to supplement irrigation using existing tanks and pumps.
Durable materials and systems were prioritised to optimise the facility’s longevity and reduce the environmental and financial cost of premature replacement.
The new Adelaide Aquatic Centre is a multi-purpose destination for people of all ages and abilities. The facility offers indoor and outdoor experiences, relaxation zones and accessible spaces supporting recreation, rehabilitation, learn-to-swim programs and elite sport.
Key features include:
The facility’s accessible design was developed with input from accessibility stakeholders, supporting participation for people of all ages, abilities and health needs. Disability advocate Shane Hryhorec described the centre as “one of the best aquatic facilities I’ve ever visited, not only in Australia but potentially anywhere in the world.”
Community response has demonstrated the facility's value from day one. Within six months of opening, the centre welcomed more than 200,000 visits, supported thousands of learn-to-swim participants and health members, and reconnected more than 100 organisations with aquatic and recreation services.
The project also supported more than 1,500 jobs during delivery, demonstrating its immediate social and economic impact alongside its long-term community value.
The Adelaide Aquatic Centre demonstrates how integrated engineering can balance decarbonisation, operational performance, durability and community outcomes in one of Australia's most energy-intensive public building types.
Now open to the public, the centre has established a new reference point for low-carbon aquatic centre design in Australia. The engineering approaches, specialist expertise and collaborative delivery model developed through the project provide a scalable model for the next generation of aquatic infrastructure across Australia.
The project has won the following award:
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