UBC Vancouver ready to open new $39M aquatic centre

The University of British Columbia unveiledits new $39 million aquatic centre today on its Vancouver campus.

"I'm pumped, I'm jacked," said Kavie Toor, the senior director of facilities, recreation and sport about the completed pool. Toor has led the project for the last seven years.

The new pool is brighter and adds features like a child-friendly lazy river, but some things found in the old facility, includinganoutdoor pool and free fitness gym for students, are missing.

"We've heard from lots of folks who are lamenting the closure of the outdoor pool, because there's lots of nostalgia attached toit," saidToor.

"As a former student myself, I have had some of those 3 a.m. experiences of diving in the outdoor pool," he said. "We certainly love the outdoor pool, but the limited [seasonal] use for us really pushed us in the direction of having a larger indoor facility."

The new facility, designed by the architectural firmsActon Ostry and MacLennanJaunkalns Miller, was built with sustainability in mind, andaims to achieve LEED Gold certification..

An underground 1.3 million litre holding tank will store rainwater from the roof to keep the pool topped up, and UBC's District Energy System is used to heat the building, pool, and domestic hot water.

"It's always fantastic at the end of a project to see all of the smiles on the faces of people that are using the facility," said principalarchitect Mark Ostry. "We're just thrilled."

Ostrywas a student at UBC in 1979-80 and recalls spending idle time in the bleachers of the old pool, known affectionally by students as "the womb."

"I remember the womb, I used to go into the aquatic centre on those rainy afternoons, cold rainy afternoons and get warmed up in the bleachers and fall asleep instead of doing homework," he said.

"It was really important that we maintained the public access to the bleachers."

The old pool, built in 1978, featured a fitness gym in the basement. It was relatively small, but free for students, unlike the nearby Bird Coop gym.

"That's the one thing that is kind of a drawback with this new pool UBC's in desperate need of new workout facilities because the gym in the student recreation centre is completely overrun," said third year kinesiology student Brent Mosher.

"There's no room to stand basically."

Third year psychology student Samantha Barber added her complaint about the lack of a free gym in the new facility.

"That is a big disappointment to me. Because being a very poor student, the more free the better," she said.

"It's awesome for the swimmers.I don't know, I guess I'm not a swimmer myself," said Barber.

Toor saida new gym in the old Student Union Building could be complete by 2018.

Competitive swimmers on campus, includingMarkus Thormeyer, 19, whoswam for Canada at the Rio Olympics and now competes on the varsity team, are welcoming thenew pool.

"It's going to be exciting training in this new pool, having also just a brighter pool. It's nicer, not just for us, but the community as well," he said.

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