The aquatic center houses three separate pools – a 10-lane competition pool; a 1,500 sf therapy pool; an 8,300 sf recreation pool with toddler and wheelchair friendly zero-depth, four lanes, a 125-foot two-flume waterslide complex; all beneath a custom designed steel and glass enclosure.
The main pool enclosure is roughly the length of a football field with a 100-foot wide span. It features motorized, retractable glass wall and roof panels that provide natural day lighting and ventilation. Opening a combination of wall and roof panels creates a natural “flue effect” so ventilation does not cost a lot of money. The operable roof panels also have rain sensors that close the roof automatically in the event of rain. The 19six Team designed a co-generation system that provides added heat to the pool water system.
Electricity for the entire Lompoc Aquatic Center as well as 75% of pool heating needs were designed to be fed by two fuel cells, with excess power feeding back to the City-owned electrical grid. The Lompoc Aquatic Center received the Helen Putnam Award from the League of American Cities in 2007 and was also a Dream Design Winner and featured in Aquatics International, 2007.
