Buchanan Park Competition Pool
Evergreen, CO
Design Firm | EVStudio
VIEW DD SET
Existing Buchanan Park Recreation Center - Under-Utilized Lakefront)
Evergreen Parks and Recreation is a frequent repeat client of EVStudio's commercial group, with the master plan for Buchanan Park being a huge source of work. Of all the phases of concept design that were shown to the Parks and Recreation, the Competition Pool was made top priority and will be the first to be completed.
The new Competition Pool was the first-step in a multi-phase plan to revitalize the Lakefront area in the rear of the Buchanan Park Recreation center. Later additions would include a slash-pad water feature plus an elevated pier and diving platform over the lake. Substantial efforts to tidy up the lake to swimmable-conditions are being undertaken in hopes of hosting outdoor swimming events in the future.
The new Pool is designed to flank the existing, interior recreation & play pool without disrupting current operations. This entails allowing existing spaces to properly egress and maximizing sightlines so that lifeguards can supervise the existing and new pools simultaneously. The single-story area between the higher masses of the pools serves as the lifeguards' supervision area.
At the conclusion of extensive Value Engineering efforts, the Competition pool was designed to be reliant on the existing entries and locker rooms of the Recreation Center. New construction is comprised of the Competition Pool and its supporting Mechanical spaces, a Lifeguard office, pool storage, and code-required restrooms.
My contributions to this project were primarily—but not limited to—the following:
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CODE ANALYSIS | Ensured that new facilities were fully Code-compliant without encroaching on egress from existing spaces.
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LOCKER ROOM LAYOUT & FIXTURES| Re-configured Existing areas to achieve additional fixtures and designing new facilities.
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PRELIMINARY FORMS | Created initial Plans, Elevations, and 3D forms that have remained in concept following Value Engineering.
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OPENINGS | Ensured all openings—fenestrations, drainage, mechanical, or otherwise—seamlessly fit into bearing CMU modules.
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ENLARGED VIEWS | Developed all Floor and Enlarged Plans, Interior Elevations, Building and Wall Sections, and Storefront Elevations.
EXISTING CONDITIONS
LIFE SAFETY
At the lower level, the primary code concerns were providing enough restroom fixtures for (2) pools and egressing the existing pool through the new. This was a consequence of not being able to shift the structure to the east (plan right) due to underground utilities and easements. Thus, we had to design in front of an existing egress exit and provide a new exit immediately adjacent.
We had to retroactively rebuild a 1-Hour Fire-Rated enclosure around the Acid Room in the existing structure as well as rating the Chemical Room in the new pool. Minor spaces within the existing footprint were adapted to meet client needs—namely, a steam room/sauna and additional offices—so egress paths were calculated for those as well.
At the upper level, the primary code concerns were ensuring that restroom facilities and egress paths were adaptable and expandable should any of the future Gymnasium, Fitness Center, or office renovations begin.
NON-COMBUSTIBLE CONSTRUCTION
While the official Construction Type of III-A only requires fire-rated Bearing Walls and Roofs, local Amendments to IBC required ignition resistant, fire rated materials at nearly all exterior materials. Jefferson County requires all developments above 6,400' of elevation to comply with Appendix Z, which is where all the requirements (listed below) come from.
Thus, we were forced to rethink typical, mundane details such as cosmetic and wood roof framing, downspout attachments, and tempered glazing at areas typically reserved for standard glass.
OVERALL FLOOR PLAN - POOL
The new Competition pool and supporting spaces hugs onto and wraps around the Southwest corner of the existing recreation pool. This allows for the re-use and connection to many of the existing Pool and Building mechanical systems, freeing up the new pool plumbing systems to focus on storage and distribution of acids and bases.
Lifeguard and retractable spectator bleachers are located along the north wall so that the occupants can easily egress into the Recreation pool or out of the building entirely. Restrooms and rinse showers are accessed directly from the pool deck before and after events, eliminating the need to traverse across the Lower Level for existing restroom facilities.
A 300 square-foot storage space allows the Owners to house water polo nets, indoor kayaks, inflatable 'wibits', and climbing walls for other events besides competition swims. Overhead doors along the South and West allow for passive ventilation and outdoor spectating.
At the center of the structure is an (8) eight-lane 25-yard Competition Pool, 1-meter diving platform, pool entry stairs, and dedicated rinse showers.
1| Enlarged Floor Plan - Existing Restroom & Locker Room
2 | Enlarged Floor Plan - New Restroom
RESTROOM DESIGN
The Existing Restrooms and lockers rooms did not possess enough capacity to handle the occupant load of the new pool. Thus, the locker spaces were halved in lieu of adding (3) three additional toilet fixtures (not pictured) per gender. This was remedied by adding locking, personal storage along the pool deck of the new Competition pool. This layout maintained the linear, logical passage through the Restrooms and deposited swimmers on the path to the Competition Pool.
At the bottom right of the Existing plan, the existing Janitor room will be modified into a Steam room usable by all.
The new restrooms are designed purely for the spectators and swimmers within the new Competition Pool. Located off of and eliminating views in from the secondary entrance vestibule, users are able to quickly return to the starting blocks and spectator bleachers. Large-format Floor Tiles and epoxy-painted CMU walls make these spaces impervious to the high-moisture environments that they are.
FINISHES
Finish Photo Gallery
MATERIAL SELECTIONS
The pool deck and back-of-house spaces are finished with Epoxy-painted CMU walls and anti-slip coated, sealed concrete floors. This was one of many reductive design decisions made during Value Engineering. The restrooms are finished with the same painted CMU walls as well with porcelain tiling at the floors and sparingly as wall accents. The lifeguard office utilizes the same floor tiling.
At the exterior, the Client was bullish on maintaining a contemporary appearance while standing with the same traditional materials used along the "mountain classic" Buchanan Recreation Center. Thus, the design team heavily used exposed timber, vertical siding, and stone veneer to link the new structure to the old.
As is customary with most 'athletic fieldhouses', the exterior uses a repetition of vertical pilasters and large blocks of glazing to create a rhythm along the South and West faces. Glazing alternates between standard storefront systems at lower heights—where solar height gain is less of a concern—and Kalwall Low-E systems at upper fenestrations where direct sunlight and glare on the Pool surface must be prevented.
Horizontal glulam beams separate the storefront and Kalwall systems. Additional timber is used at porch structures and roof overhang kickers.
Large swathes of stucco and fiber-cement paneling are used to create a warm and solid counterpart to the vertical bands of fenestration.
ELEVATIONS & SECTIONS
3| Building Elevation - South - Lakefront View
4| Building Elevation - West - Splash-Pad Plaza View
5| Building Elevation - East - Bergen Parkway View
Concept Render - Previous Design for Exterior
ELEVATIONS
Comparing the current to previous Elevation designs, it's as easy to see the similarities and concepts as it is to see the differences. From a separate 'vestibule' area transitioning the new Pool to the existing, the portico along the Western face, or the mono-slope roofs, the essence of the original design still remains.
While the previous design stressed a limited material pallet to supplement complex and eye-grabbing volumes and forms, the new design is less volumetric and places a greater emphasis on the ordering, transitions, and orientations of materials.
Material transitions and control joints have been carefully chosen to match storefront openings and mullion heights, openings of CMU modules, heights and slopes of roofs, and fenestrations into the existing pool
Longitudinal Section - East to West - Pool and Vestibule
SECTIONS
The Section shown above illustrates the different volumes of the Competition pool and it's adjacent support spaces. On the left, the viewer can see the South face of the Lifeguard office and a section cut of the porch roof.
At the center, the profile of the Competition Pool and sheer amount of mechanical ducting for the space are quite evident. One of the greatest challenges of the Value Engineering exercises was shrinking the total height and volume of the Competition Pool will providing enough spacing between Structural systems, mechanical systems, and the vertical clearance for the Diving Platform and other activities, such as rock climbing and usage of inflatable pool towers.
Along the right, viewers can see the shrunken form of the entry vestibule and restrooms. Immediately above them is the massive rooftop RTU, whose method of screening is currently a point of discussion.