Roxburgh Community Pool Punawai Ora

The Punawai Ora ("Safe Water") Roxburgh Community Pool is an ambitious local community project involving the construction of a brand-new community swimming facility, following the demolishment of the existing 89-year-old swimming pool. Inovo have been involved in project management, planning, and cost control from the early stages of the project through to project completion, also providing value engineering advice for cost savings wherever possible.

This state-of-the-art facility includes a 25m swimming pool and a 10m learner pool, both with accessible ramps and a separate 5m toddlers learn-to-swim pool. The surrounding areas are fully paved, with a dedicated shaded seating area and various deck style bench seats overlooking the pool. The facility also features a new building complex housing separate male and female change rooms and ablutions, an accessible family change area, and front of house services including office and retail space. Operational plant and services are strategically incorporated into the back-of-house, out of sight from communal areas and operating more efficiently in a well-ventilated environment, including the large heat pumps that allow the “summer pools” to remain operational from November through to April.

As the project was almost entirely funded by donations, efforts to keep project delivery costs down called for some departures from strict standard contractual processes, leading to a more impromptu design staging and construction implementation process. The project took the initiative of green energy solutions, with solar panels over the outdoor seating area to both provide sustainable energy production. Solar panels also feature on part of the north facing pitched building roof.

The pool reconstruction project took advantage of the picturesque existing location nestled between the hills of Roxburgh and the Clutha River (Mata-Au) (although construction was somewhat complicated due to the sloping surrounding ground). The facility design provides a modern space for engagement and leisure, strengthening community bonds and laying the foundation for a healthier, more connected future.