Innovative use of timber through the entry foyers and over the aquatic areas

Designed with NBRS Architecture with the engineering team comprising TTW (structures, civil, façade) and NDY (Aquatics, Mechanical, Electrical) features:

  • Indoor heated Aquatic facilities including 25m x 10 lanes swimming pool, 17m x 10m Hydrotherapy/Program pool, combined Learn to Swim / Leisure pool with interactive water features, Splash pad and water slide

  • Health and fitness facilities including large Gymnasium (24hour operation)

  • Performance and Community Art spaces including Black Box' performance space to seat approx. 500 persons

  • Visitor Centre facilities including large foyer/ exhibition/ merchandise area, café/bar, and gallery


A highlight of the building is the innovative use of timber through the entry foyers and over the aquatic areas. The long spanning hybrid timber bow-string' truss spanning the main pool hall will be a defining feature of the building.

The Civil site works has seen our team involved in the demolition of the existing swimming pool, mini-golf and carpark on the site and the construction of an aquatic, arts and leisure centre including a large carpark, roadworks and associated landscaping. The position of the site directly adjacent to the sensitive wetlands of McLeods Creek involved extensive water quality design and detailed two-dimensional flood modelling accounting for future climate change impacts and evacuation considerations. The sensitive nature of the site has required TTW to have considerable interaction and liaison with the NSW Department of Primary Industries and the NSW EPA. Other aspects of the civil design included the detailed grading of the site levels, roadworks design, pavement detailing, bulk earthworks, and stormwater design. Due to the low connection level downstream of the site, low flow and high flow drainage systems had to be integrated into the design.

From a Construction Engineering perspective, our team worked on the design and lifting strategy for the primary bow-string trusses, which were up to 33m long and weighed up to 7tonne. The lift involved aerially rotating the trusses from lying on their flat to their vertical position, using a dual lift (2 crane-lift), which required a strongback system to help support the truss during the aerial manoeuvre.

Our Façade team are providing full design consultancy services including design development and preparation of tender documents, through to construction phase services. The façade of the new leisure centre comprises Equitone rainscreen cladding, glazed aluminium window walls, operable multi-fold doors, glazed awnings and feature vertical timber batten screening and translucent polycarbonate paneling to the outdoor water slide.

Moreover, our Timber engineers have delivered the detail for the erection sequence for the mass timber portal frames to enable safe installation during construction.

Client: Eurobodalla Shire Council

Architect: NBRS Architecture

Builder: Savcon

Value: $46M

Completion: 2021

Sector: Government & Public, Sports & Leisure, Art & Culture

Services: Timber, Structural, Civil, Facade