Leader of the PAC – pool’s bold architecture the envy of the world

Parramatta Aquatic Centre (PAC) is the talk of the architectural world both globally and locally with the City’s iconic pool winning three prestigious awards in the past three days.

PAC claimed the title of Best Completed Building – Sport at the World Architecture Festival, fending off challenges from Slovenia’s Češča Vas pool complex, Mexico’s Academia Atlas football stadium and China’s Xiang’an Sports Exchange Center among others. The event, this year held in Singapore, is the world’s largest festival and awards competition celebrating architectural excellence from across the globe.

The win followed hot on the heels of the PAC taking home two gongs from the Australian Institute of Architects National Architecture Awards, where it won Australia’s highest honour for urban design, the Sir Walter Burley Griffith Award, while also named Best Public Architecture.

City of Parramatta Lord Mayor Cr Martin Zaiter said it’s an extraordinary achievement for the City.

“Talk about making a splash! We couldn’t be prouder that PAC has blown the competition out of the water with these significant international and national award wins,” Cr Zaiter said.

“Our emerging global City deserves world class facilities. These awards demonstrate that’s exactly what we’ve delivered.”

Cr Zaiter said Council’s iconic health and wellness hub was the result of successful collaboration with the City and its project partners.

“Our bold vision was only made possible through the innovation and forward-thinking of Council and the hardworking architects and designers at Grimshaw and Andrew Burges Architects and McGregor Coxall,” Cr Zaiter said.

“As our City and the surrounding suburbs continue to grow, PAC has set the benchmark for how we see future designs and functional buildings in the local area.”

Grimshaw Sydney Studio managing partner Michael Janeke said it’s an incredible feat.

“The Parramatta Aquatic Centre has been recognised by the architectural and urban design profession in the 2024 awards season with an almost unprecedented number of public awards and citations,” Mr Janeke said.

“The collaboration between the architects and the City of Parramatta that brought this project to fruition is exemplary and we are delighted that the design of this important community and civic project has been recognised on the world stage.

“We acknowledge the exemplary collaboration of our associated architect, Andrew Burges of ABA and the landscape architecture of McGregor Coxall as well as the builder, Lipman.”

This achievement caps off a big year for PAC after it won the coveted Sir John Sulman Medal at the Australian Institute of Architects’ NSW awards in July and three awards including the Facility of the Year at the 2024 Aquatic and Recreation Institute (ARI) NSW Awards of Excellence.

2024 WORLD ARCHITECTURE FESTIVAL AWARDS – BEST COMPLETED BUILDING - SPORT

2024 AUSTRALIAN INSTITUTE OF ARCHITECTS NATIONAL ARCHITECTURE AWARDS - PUBLIC ARCHITECTURE FINALISTS

2024 AUSTRALIAN INSTITUTE OF ARCHITECTS NATIONAL ARCHITECTURE AWARDS – SIR WALTER BURLEY GRIFFITH URBAN DESIGN AWARD