Feature focus
The 50-m pool is designed to Canadian and international competitive swimming standards. It has a movable bulkhead that permits swimming competitions in either a 50- or 25-m configuration in the same orientation, which allows for enhanced viewing from the 460-seat spectator area. Since the pool is 25-m wide, it provides 20 lanes of cross-course training. Further, the facility has a dual-timing system to accommodate two simultaneous 25-m events for large meets.
Beside the 50-m pool is the 8-lane, 25-m lap pool which is available for swimming instruction, as well as lap and recreational swimming. It can also be used as a warm-up pool for major aquatic events. It is designed to accommodate a future buoyant floor system, which will be capable of adjusting the pool’s depth from zero to 3.5 m (zero to 11.5 ft). An additional feature included with the 25-m pool is a Tarzan swing for bather enjoyment.
The leisure pool includes water features such as geysers, two floatables for climbing, bubble benches, a basketball hoop complete with a 7/8 scale foul line and three-point markings, and a current channel commonly known as a lazy river.
The UBC Aquatic Centre is a fully accessible facility. Even the 30-person hot tub is the first in the province to be fitted with an aquatic elevator, enabling seniors and the mobility impaired to appreciate the relaxing and therapeutic benefits of this amenity.
To enhance swimmers’ overall experience and enjoyment, the UBC Aquatic Centre is equipped with the latest water treatment and filtration systems. In fact, the advanced filtration system implemented at this facility exceeds local health authority requirements. While most pools traditionally use sand filters, this aquatic centre uses regenerative media filters which require less space and are capable of removing material from the water from as small as one to five microns. This debris is much smaller and invisible compared to the average 12 to 15 microns of material that a sand filter can remove. The more material removed from the pool, the better the water quality is and, consequently, fewer chemicals are needed to treat the water.
Further, the water consumption needed to maintain a sand filter is much greater than what is used for a regenerative media filter. When it comes to backwashing, one case study has shown regenerative media filters use only eight per cent of the amount of water a sand filter requires to perform the same task. Therefore, regenerative media filters can reduce water consumption by 92 per cent.
Water conservation a top priority
The university is recognized as a leader in sustainability and the UBC Aquatic Centre serves as a showcase project for water conservation and water recycling strategies. Sustainable methods implemented at this facility to reduce water consumption include low-flow plumbing fixtures that reduce annual potable water demand by 47 per cent and the installation of rainwater harvesting systems.
Considering Vancouver’s wet climate, it made sense to implement a rainwater harvesting system that collects water from the roof of the UBC Aquatic Centre and stores it for use in a below-grade 900-m3 (31,783-cf) cistern. Rainwater collected from the roof passes through multiple stages of filtration prior to its use in the facility. First, the water undergoes a pre-filter treatment before entering the cistern, followed by cartridge and ultraviolet (UV) treatment for use in irrigation, toilet flushing, and topping up the pool. The recycled rainwater is introduced into the pool via surge tanks where it is subsequently circulated through the filtration system where it receives further UV and chlorination treatments.
Typically, a large volume of potable water is required to make up what is lost through evaporation. Thanks to the harvesting system, the UBC Aquatic Centre can collect approximately 2.7 million litres (593,917 gallons) of rainwater annually for re-use with its current roof collection area. The system is also designed to allow for future neighbouring buildings to divert rooftop rainwater to the cistern for use at the aquatic facility.
