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Beam Me Up! Aquatic Centre takes shape with arrival of largest wooden beam in Australia
Wednesday, 26 February 2025
The framework of the new Adelaide Aquatic Centre continues to take shape, following the arrival of massive timber beams and columns, some of the biggest South Australia has ever seen.
The new $135 million Adelaide Aquatic Centre, which will be powered by 100 per cent renewable energy, will feature extensive indoor and outdoor pool areas, water slides, splash zones and lawned recreation facilities.
The 52 timber beams and columns, which are up to 37 metres long, are being installed in the various pool halls, and are so large they had to be specially milled in Austria, as the Australian timber industry doesn’t currently have the manufacturing capacity for beams of this size.
They were then transported 1,200km to Belgium, shipped 26,000km by boat to Melbourne, before being transported by trucks to Adelaide under police escort.
The timber is now being installed, along with over 200 roofing panels, as construction of parts of the building structure at the new centre ramps up.
The 20 beams and 32 columns weigh over 143 tonnes combined. One of the beams is the largest wooden beam in the country, weighing 10,282kg and at a size of 22.85m3.
Meanwhile work continues on the pools themselves. The 50-metre, Learn to Swim and Warm Water Rehabilitation indoor pools were all filled late last year to test their water retaining capacity, while construction of the remaining pools, including the indoor splash zone, outdoor lagoon and 25-metre pool are also underway.
The new centre will also contain a gym and fitness centre, plus a relaxation zone/sauna/steam room and improved change rooms.
The demolition of the former aquatic centre site will see more than 1000 square metres of land returned to Park Lands once the new centre is complete.
As work continues, more than 100 swim groups and 2000 learn-to-swim students are using other centres around Adelaide temporarily, including the Thebarton Aquatic Centre which was refurbished last year.
This project is supporting more than 1500 jobs during construction. The new centre will open to the public next summer.