Awards of Excellence — 2019 Recipient

Borden Park Natural Swimming Pool
Borden Park
Edmonton, AB
Completion: 2018
Client: City of Edmonton
Architects: gh3*

The Borden Park Natural Swimming Pool is the first chemical-free public outdoor pool to be built in Canada.

The project replaces an existing pool and includes a seasonal pavilion and landscaped pool area for 400 swimmers.  The building houses universal change rooms, showers, washrooms, staff areas, and water filtration mechanisms.

The challenge was to create a large-scale pool with high-quality water control while also achieving an environmentally healthy and natural filtration process. The design process began with developing a pool technology that cleanses the water through stone, gravel, sand, and botanic filtering processes.

Filtration is achieved in two ways: through a biological-mechanical system, or the constructed wetland and gravel filter, and in situ, with Zooplankton. It is an unsterilized, chemical-and-disinfectant-free filtering system in which isolating membranes contain water as it circulates and is cleansed through a natural process.

The filtering processes inspired a materials-oriented concept for the change room facility, with gabion basket stone walls, made of locally sourced limestone and steel that visually evoke the idea of filtration.

A lid-like flat roof on the low rectilinear building frames the tree-canopy of the park beyond and enhances the sensation of open-sky spaciousness in the pool precinct.