Parramatta Aquatic Centre secures multiple architecture awards

Parramatta Aquatic Centre (PAC) has recently secured three prestigious architectural awards, capping off a successful year for the Centre following its winning the 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.

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 Martin Zaiter said it’s an extraordinary achievement for the City enthusing “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.

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

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

Lord Mayor Zaiter advised “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.

“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 adding “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.

“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.”

2024 WORLD ARCHITECTURE FESTIVAL AWARDS – BEST COMPLETED BUILDING – SPORT
Parramatta Aquatic Centre – Parramatta, Australia - WINNER

2024 AUSTRALIAN INSTITUTE OF ARCHITECTS NATIONAL ARCHITECTURE AWARDS - PUBLIC ARCHITECTURE FINALISTS
Parramatta Aquatic Centre | Grimshaw and Andrew Burges Architects with McGregor Coxall | NSW | The Dharug People – WINNER

2024 AUSTRALIAN INSTITUTE OF ARCHITECTS NATIONAL ARCHITECTURE AWARDS – SIR WALTER BURLEY GRIFFITH URBAN DESIGN AWARD
Parramatta Aquatic Centre | Grimshaw and Andrew Burges Architects with McGregor Coxall | NSW | The Dharug People – WINNER