2009 Mayor's Urban Design Award Winner

Mayor's Choice Award

City of Spokane Aquatics Facilities

City of Spokane Pools-Parks & Recreation Department

Location:                               Shadle Park, A.M. Cannon Park,

                                              Comstock Park, Hillyard Park,

                                              Witter Park, Liberty Park

Completion Date:                  July 1, 2009 (Shadle & AM Cannon)

                                              August 7, 2009 (Comstock & Hillyard)

                                              September 2009 (Witter & Liberty)

Purpose for the Project:         Total replacement of five existing City Park pools and new outdoor pool at Shadle Park. 

Context                                   These neighborhood pools represent community gathering places, designed to meet the desires of individual neighborhoods with bathhouses scaled in massing to respond to their location.  

This project improves Spokane’s quality of life and addresses the “15 Qualities for Good Urban Design in Spokane as follows:

Community                             Spokane’s citizens have always had a passion for swimming. Being

Enhancement                         blessed with an abundance of nearby rivers and lakes, citizens decided early on that locating pools around the city was the best means of making safe water readily available. That same passion from Spokane’s early days is alive and well today. These pools represent community gathering places.  There is something for everyone - swimming lessons, social and recreational activities, pool parties, water therapy, aerobics and more.

Human Scale &                      These facilities provide personal enjoyment and development

Richness/Human Needs        through human interaction.  All users enjoy and experience their uplifting nature.  Bathhouses are designed to respond to their individual residential neighborhoods.  Exposed wood beams and wood roof decks provide a warm, inviting character. 

Variety                                     While similar in scope, each facility contains different amenities and characteristics. Individual neighborhoods were involved in determining amenities that would be provided at their pool.  

Safety                                      Pools were carefully designed with safety and code compliance as the primary criteria; they are laid out to promote ease of observance from lifeguards and staff.

Public & Private Space           These facilities are inherently public.  Where private needs exist for administrative and changing room uses, sight lines were carefully considered.

Flexibility/Adaptability              The pools offer flexibility in usage, from small group swim lessons to hundreds of recreational swimmers to private parties.

Connectivity                            With pools spread throughout the City there is easy access; most users can walk or bike from home or bus stops. 

Accessibility                            Pool tanks feature zero-depth entries, allowing people of all ages to walk or use a wheelchair to enter directly from the pool deck into the water. This feature is safe, inviting and enjoyable.

Placemaking                           These neighborhood pools bring together people of various social, economic and racial backgrounds.  The design process engaged the community, resulting in facilities that they have pride and ownership in.

Comprehensible                     Simplicity in planning the pools and bathhouses make the facilities easy to understand and use.

Environmental                         The park locations are centers for gathering and recreation, perfectly

Sensitivity/Contextual Fit         suited for these amenities.

Urban Greenscape/                Each park’s beauty was considered and enhanced through creative site

Green Infrastructure               planning and facility locations.  At Witter Pool, the existing bathhouse and pool tank required replacement so new facilities were reoriented to maximize views to the river and park.

Sustainability                           State-of-the-art technology was incorporated to minimize environmental impacts, saving water and energy.  Bathhouses provide natural light and ventilation and were constructed with durable local materials that require minimal maintenance.

Regional Character                 Each project was designed taking into account our region, its immediate surroundings and the neighborhood’s desires. For example, Shadle Park’s bathhouse reflects its more urban context and adjacent Library, where Cannon’s is reflective of the surrounding residential neighborhood.