To avoid overloading the system, the number of bathers is limited to
980 per day, with a maximum of 400 at one time. Swimmers are also
asked to follow rules that include a soaking shower—courtesy of tube
like chrome fixtures lined up along the exterior of the stone walls—
before entering the water, and refrain from using certain sunscreens
containing ingredients that can provide too many nutrients for the
filters’ aquatic life. “The pool is a balanced ecosystem, and people are
part of it,” says facility manager Cyndi Schlosser.
Schlosser and her staff follow a protocol specifically devised for
the Borden Park pool to satisfy the provincial government health
department’s concerns. The regimen includes testing for potentially
dangerous pathogens several times per week, both onsite and by an
outside lab.
What is the pool like to swim in? On an overcast and chilly day
earlier this season, the water was clear, refreshing, and cool. It had no
briny taste, like ocean water or the sometimes fishy smell of lake water,
making the experience feel a little like a dip in a pond, albeit one that
has a rectilinear shape and no mud at the bottom. And, afterward,
there are none of the usual side effects of chlorine—no raw eyes, itchy
skin, or strawlike hair. Without these annoyances, it is possible to relax
on the deck and look at the tops of the park’s trees peeking out from
behind gh3’s robust but elegant gabion walls, creating a true amalgam
of architecture and nature. n
ARCHITECT: gh3 architecture — Pat
Hanson, Raymond Chow, Bernard Jin,
Joel DiGiacomo, Nicholas Callies, John
McKenna, DaeHee Kim, project team
CONSULTANTS: Morrison Hershfield
(structural, mechanical, electrical, civil,
LEED); Associated Engineering (gabions);
Polyplan (natural swimming pool)
GENERAL CONTRACTOR:
Ellis Don
CLIENT: City of Edmonton
SIZE: 64,000 square feet
COST: $11 million
COMPLETION DATE: July 2018SOURCES
STONE WALLS: Gabion Wall Systems
WINDOW FRAMES: Imar
GLASS: Vitro Architectural Glass
METAL DOORS: Deronde
MILLWORK: Simonet
SKYLIGHTS: Velux
WOOD DECK: Accoya
OUTDOOR SHOWERS: Bossini
SOLID SURFACING: Dupontcredits
POROUS AND PERMEABLE gh3’s building (opposite, top) is made of limestone
stacked within gabions (above). The construction method refers to the water-
purification elements, which include a bed of crushed granite (opposite, bottom).
Openings are extended the walls’ full 12-foot height (left), accentuating their heft.BORDEN PARK NATURAL SWIMMING POOL EDMONTON, ALBERTA GH3 ARCHITECTURE^55