New Clark City Aquatics Center

New Clark City Aquatics Center is a swimming and diving venue at the New Clark City in Capas, Tarlac, Philippines. It is one of the venues of the New Clark City Sports Hub which is part of the National Government Administrative Center. It hosted the aquatics events of the 2019 Southeast Asian Games and the venue is set to host the Asian Swimming Championships in 2021.

New Clark City Aquatics Center
LocationNew Clark City, Capas, Tarlac, Philippines
OwnerBases Conversion and Development Authority
Capacity2,000
Acreage12,796 m2 (137,730 sq ft)
Construction
Broke ground2019
BuiltAugust 2019
Construction cost₱2 billion
ArchitectBudji + Royal Architecture + Design
Main contractorsMTD Philippines

History

The construction of the whole New Clark City Sports Hub, which also includes the Aquatics Center, began on April 25, 2018 with a cement-pouring ceremony.[1] Construction of the facility costed around ₱2 billion .[2] By early July 2019, the aquatics center is already 85 percent complete.[3] The venue is completed by August 2019 in time with the Philippine Swimming National Open as the first event hosted in the venue.[4]

Architecture

The Bases Conversion Development Authority commissioned local architecture firm, Budji + Royal Architecture + Design to work on the New Clark City Sports Hub.[5] The Aquatics Center covers an area of 12,796 square meters (137,730 sq ft) on a 21,936 square meters (236,120 sq ft) plot of land.[6]

The Aquatics Center's design was derived from the baklad a local fish trap, and the Filipino weaving and woodwork[6] and exhibits a bamboo color theme.[7] The design consist of a huge open shed with a prismatic roof similar to a parol made of capiz coating.[5] The roofing will be made from polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), a fiberglass material used for its lightweight property, durability, and weather resistance. The architects intends to cover the facility but still let natural light into its interior. At daytime, the architects intended the roof to resemble capiz windows used by old Philippine houses and at night the roof will be illuminated to resemble a lit parol.[8]

Facilities

Pools and equipment
Interior of the aquatics center.

The Aquatics Center has a two-level bleachers with a seating capacity of 2,000. Above the bleachers is a furnished and air-conditioned VIP lounge.[9]

It hosts three swimming pools, an Olympic pool, a training pool,[10] and a diving pool. All pools have hot-steel siding and PVC linings installed. The aquatics venue also has an underwater sound system. Besides the bleachers on the ground floor. is a dryland training area[9]

The main facility is the competition pool which has a dimension of 50 by 25 meters (164 ft × 82 ft) meters and has a depth of 3 meters (9.8 ft). Each of the pool's ten lanes are equipped with lap-timers in lieu of flip charts used traditionally in other aquatics venues. Adjacent to the competition pool is the diving pool has a dimension of 25 by 20 meters (82 ft × 66 ft) and a depth of 5 meters (16 ft). The diving pool is equipped with five diving platforms. Behind the diving pool is the 2 meters (6.6 ft) deep 8-lane training pool.[9]

Adjacent to the bleachers is a dryland training area which hosts a foam diving area, trampolines, and stretch equipment for athletes.[9]

The pools at the facility is accredited by the Fédération Internationale de Natation (FINA), an international sport governing body for water sports.[11]

Pool Lanes Dimension Depth
Competition pool1050 m × 25 m (164 ft × 82 ft)3 m (9.8 ft)
Training pool8?2 m (6.6 ft)
Diving poolN/A25 m × 20 m (82 ft × 66 ft)5 m (16 ft)

Other

The facility's entrance is connected to the main road by a vehicle ramp while pedestrians including persons with disabilities can access the stadium through its side entry points.[12] The lower ground floor hosts parking spaces for 26 cars and ten buses.[6]

Use
Swimmers competing at the 2019 Philippine Swimming National Open.

The aquatics center can be used for swimming and other water sports. The training pool while intended as a practice venue for athletes participating in international tournaments could also be used to hold local competitions.[12] The Philippine Swimming National Open was held from August 31 to September 3, 2019 as the first event.[13] The facility hosted the aquatics events, including water polo, as part of the 2019 Southeast Asian Games.[14] and it is also set to host the 2021 Asian Swimming Championships in November 2021.

See also

References
  1. Saldajeno, Ivan (25 April 2018). "BCDA begins pouring cement on New Clark City athletic field". Dugout Philippines. Retrieved 25 April 2018.
  2. Torres, Judith; Mata, Denny (13 August 2019). "BCDA Pres tackles USD 5 billion New Clark City, white elephants". BluPrint. Retrieved 31 August 2019.
  3. "PH players may use athletes' village starting August". ABS-CBN News. 5 July 2019. Retrieved 5 July 2019.
  4. Matel, Philip (31 August 2019). "Brand-new Athletics Stadium hosts national swimming championships". ESPN. Retrieved 31 August 2019.
  5. Enriquez, Marge (3 January 2018). "Design duo tapped to build 'city of the future'". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved 9 March 2018.
  6. Torres, Judith; Mata, Denny (11 July 2019). "We visited New Clark City's Aquatic Center 94 days before turnover—here's how it looked". BluPrint. Retrieved 16 August 2019.
  7. Enriquez, Marge (28 August 2019). "In Pampanga, a rising sports complex references local icons". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved 31 August 2019.
  8. Remo, Amy (17 February 2018). "Rise of the new city". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved 10 May 2018.
  9. de la Cruz, Gabrielle (30 October 2019). "Making a Splash: Aquatics Center is competition-ready for the upcoming SEA Games". BluPrint. Retrieved 9 November 2019.
  10. Luz Lopez, Melissa (14 June 2019). "Clark stadium, pools for SEA Games completed by August". CNN Philippines. Retrieved 15 June 2019.
  11. Lozada, Bong (1 September 2019). "New Clark City Aquatics Center pool gets Fina accreditation ahead of SEA Games". Inquirer.net. Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved 20 December 2019.
  12. Mata, Denny (31 July 2019). "33 days before turnover: Aquatic Center 90% complete". BluPrint. Retrieved 16 August 2019.
  13. "Pinoy swimmers get first crack at Clark aquatics center". Manila Bulletin. 16 August 2019. Retrieved 16 August 2019.
  14. "PH water polo team hopes to end 10-year drought in SEA Games". Tempo. 12 August 2019. Retrieved 16 August 2019.
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