Western Sydney’s hottest place to cool down opens

Parramatta has a cool new destination for beating the heat, just in time for summer.

Today marks the opening of the Parramatta Aquatic Centre, a multi-million dollar facility designed to service the diverse communities of Western Sydney. Jointly crafted by award-winning architectural firms Grimshaw, Andrew Burges Architects and landscape architects McGregor Coxall, the facility includes a 10-lane 50m outdoor pool, a 25m indoor pool and a Learn to Swim pool as well as an indoor water playground, a fully-equipped gym in the health and wellness centre, community rooms and steam, spa and sauna facilities.

The $88.6 million centre is situated in Parramatta Park at Mays Hill and has been designed to ‘minimally disrupt’ the park, which is inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List. With the outdoor pool as the centrepiece, the aquatic centre has been largely worked into the topography of the park, maintaining community access to the site as well as protecting views across the park to Old Government House.

In addition to the public-facing facilities, the centre has 360 solar panels powering a 193kW system and an automated natural ventilation system instead of air conditioning.

Parramatta has been without an aquatic centre since 2017 when the Parramatta Memorial Pool was bulldozed to make way for the Western Sydney Stadium. The outdoor pool has been named the Memorial Pool in honour of the former pool.

Architect Andrew Burges said the aquatic centre had been designed with the future in mind.

“Our goal was to provide a completely new vision of what an Aquatic Centre could be – we wanted to create a destination for the community, one that provides opportunity for many forms of recreation in a safe and inspiring facility that feels more like a landscape setting than a building,” he said.

Project director for Grimshaw, Josh Henderson, said the centre was a culmination of years of planning and collaboration that would serve the needs of the community for years to come.

“The new Parramatta Aquatic Centre will provide a much-needed destination for swimming, fitness, and leisure in Western Sydney,” he said.

“The design team, City of Parramatta and builder have all collaborated to create a valuable community asset that is enjoyable to experience, well made, highly functional and accessible. As a new home to many community groups, the opening of the facility will provide vibrant landscaped public spaces for fitness, sport, learn to swim classes and for time with friends and family.”

The new aquatic centre is projected to attract one million visitors a year.

Australia’s housing debate is often dominated by affordability and supply, but a new collaboration between Brickworks and acclaimed architecture firm Kennedy Nolan argues the conversation should also focus on the quality and longevity of the homes being built.

The project, titled Our Next Neighbourhood, examines how suburban housing could evolve in response to shrinking block sizes, rising energy costs, increasing density and changing family structures.

Rather than proposing luxury dream homes, the initiative focuses on what its creators describe as achievable suburban housing models that are more flexible, sustainable, and better suited to modern Australian life.

Brickworks commissioned Kennedy Nolan to investigate what suburban housing might look like if “design, long-term liveability and enduring materials were placed at the centre of the conversation”.

The result is two housing concepts, known as the Street Terrace and Canopy Terrace, which explore higher-density living while maintaining access to green space, natural light and privacy.

The designs incorporate adaptable floorplans that can evolve as family needs change, along with passive design principles intended to reduce reliance on mechanical heating and cooling.

Brett Ward, General Manager of Marketing at Brickworks, said the company wanted to broaden the discussion around housing beyond simply increasing supply.

“Much of the housing conversation today is understandably focused on supply and affordability, but there is an equally important discussion to be had about the quality and longevity of the homes we build,” he said.

“We wanted to explore how thoughtful design, combined with durable, resilient materials, could create homes that not only function well today, but continue to support Australian families and communities long into the future.”

Kennedy Nolan said the project was partly inspired by concerns that contemporary housing often struggles to adapt to changing household structures and environmental pressures.

The architects said innovation in suburban housing was “essential” to address changing family groupings, energy use, urban heat island effects and growing disconnection from place.

According to the design team, the concepts draw on lessons from some of Australia’s most influential housing projects while seeking to create neighbourhoods with stronger links to landscape, community and local identity.

Rachel Nolan, founder of Kennedy Nolan, said the practice saw an opportunity to reimagine suburban housing as something “more connected to our climate, our landscape, our communities and our Australian identity”.

The project comes as policymakers, developers and planners continue searching for ways to deliver more housing without sacrificing liveability, neighbourhood character or long-term sustainability.

Western Sydney’s hottest place to cool down opens

It’s been a long wait, but doors finally open today

Brickworks has enlisted acclaimed architecture studio Kennedy Nolan to explore how homes could become more adaptable, energy-efficient and connected to community.