WA Institute of Sport (WAIS) High Performance Service Centre
SPORT AND RECREATION
CLIENT: Building Management & Works on behalf of Department of Sport & Recreation
LOCATION:
Mt Claremont, WA
PROJECT VALUE: $33.7M
COMPLETED: 2015
JV PARTNER: dwp
The Western Australian Institute of Sport (WAIS) High Performance Service Centre is a sports science, research and recovery building with state of the art training and testing facilities for Olympic and Commonwealth Games athletes encompassing 28 sports and 14 development programs.
We undertook a complex process of user engagement that involved coaching staff and administrative bodies for this broad range of sporting codes, the operating body VenuesWest, WAIS and the University of Western Australia.
We guided these stakeholders through the design process, helping them conceptualise the facility as a high performance workplace that had the potential to galvinise users around their shared mission and create opportunities for knowledge sharing and interaction.
The design solution provides a powerful symbol within an elite sports precinct.
The articulation of the athlete’s physique in the built form embodies the organisation’s purpose: to provide opportunities for talented Australian athletes to achieve excellence in elite sport with support from an environment of excellence.
The main elements of the building’s design (structure, cladding, services and specialist functional areas) are deliberately articulated as legible expressions of the relevant physiological elements of the human body: the skeleton, skin, muscle and internal organs.
The visible structure and the use of a range of clean, strong materials are employed as recognisable visual cues to the athletic purpose of the building. The finishes are deliberately contemporary and dynamic, with the intention of reminding the athletes that this facility puts them in front of competitor nations, thereby building their confidence and motivation.
Connectivity between the administrative first floor and the testing and training spaces at the core of the building take advantage of increased height and voids, and allow all support sectors of the organisation to visually interact with the heart of the facility.
We developed a range of bespoke solutions to meet the facility’s indoor training requirements such as a 48 metre indoor running track with an adjustable incline, and complex retractable netting systems for sports like discus and javelin.
The new centre allows WAIS to work with close to 300 athletes across 28 sports in 14 dedicated programs like cycling, swimming, gymnastics, track and field, hockey and kayaking as well as a host of individual athletes from sports outside WAIS. It incorporates rehabilitation and recovery facilities, a strength and conditioning gym, warm water and cold water recovery pools, an indoor runway, environmental and physiology laboratories, indoor sports hall and coaching and administration office accommodation.
“Located within Perth’s Mount Claremont elite sports precinct, the centre offers superior facilities for WAIS athletes who are vying for a position on Australia’s Olympic and Paralympic teams. The new centre will also nurture athletes aspiring for selection to state and national teams.”
At first glance, the centre appears to be a facility dedicated solely to the development of elite athletes and the creation of Olympic champions. However, the design approach extends the value of the facility as an enabler of much broader societal benefits related to the health and fitness challenges of the Australian community such as the development of sports technology and medicine and the encouragement of greater participation in sport and physical activity. Many of the insights and technological advances developed by sports science researchers at WAIS will eventually filter down into accessible knowledge and devices that will benefit society at large.
We continued problem solving well into contract administration. We assisted to overcome construction delays by strategising the scheduling of the works. This ensured essential elements of the project were delivered well ahead of the 2016 Olympic Games, giving athletes the best opportunity to prepare.
“The design is very well resolved demonstrating significant skill, technical proficiency and integration of supporting expertise. Building performance is significantly enhanced by connectivity between spaces of diverse functions, particularly visual continuity between upper level office and lower level athlete areas. Interior finishes are well considered and selected to accommodate a wide variety of different activities.
There is notable ingenuity in the manner in which materials and finishes have been used to meet unusual technical demands.
The facility has received strong endorsement from both WAIS management and those who use the facility and it will put WAIS at the forefront of athlete development in Australia.”
Jury Citation, 2016 Architecture Award – Public Architecture
Australian Institute of Architects (WA)