State of the art pool to serve school

And what makes this $12million Aquatic centre so special?

Apart from the fact that it was built on the school site in central Auckland, it has a moveable floor pool that is 25m x 20m x 2m and includes eight 2.5 metre with competition lanes, with a second 12m x 6m junior pool with separate changing facilities, a new physical education classroom, a purpose built fitness centre and a tiered, spectators’ gallery overlooking the main pool which accommodates approximately 380 people.

Pools with a moveable floor are quite common in Europe and the UK but it is one of just four such pools in NZ, it is the first moveable floor in a NZ school pool.

It is designed so it can be used for a variety of codes. Lowering the floor to a maximum depth of 2m allows codes like water polo and underwater hockey to be played. While allowing the pool to be used for PE classes, beginner swimmers and codes like flipper ball. Raising the floor level also makes access to the pool easier for people with mobility difficulties. It also can act as a thermal cover to provide thermal insulation and minimise use of chemicals when the pool is not in use.

On going to press on Friday morning the Governor General Anand Satyanand was to officially open later that day the brand new state-of-the-art Aquatic Centre at Diocesan School for Girls in Auckland.

Keeping in line with their Master Development plan, after about two years of planning, consulting and construction tenders it was followed by 12 months of construction and the centre was completed ahead of schedule and ready for school use a term early.

It was constructed in the Netherlands then shipped to NZ. A Dutch team of installers flew over last November to install the Vario flooring.

To fund the project the school undertook some fund-raising but the vast majority came from internal means.

It is believed that the pool will be well utilised by the school, especially the under water Hockey and Water Polo teams.