As prime consultant, the landscape architect guided the client throughout project development. As a team, the client and consultant first developed a time management schedule, program development, concept studies, preliminary design, and finally the construction documents. The landscape architect developed the site planning, grading, building layout, and detail designs. They also determined the location, shape, size, and depths of the pools. An architect within the firm developed the working drawings for the building after consulting with the landscape architect on the shape, form, and style of the buildings. A swimming pool consultant provided construction drawings for the pools' structure, mechanical plumbing, and filtration systems.

The two aquatic centers were to have many similar programs needs, l lowcvcr, and the differences in the site locations for each facility dictated different resolutions of the program. Both programs included recreational opportunities such as zero-depth entry, large water slides, interactive water play units, children's pool, sunbathing, and a bathhouse with a separate manager's office.

The site for the Central Aquatics Center was restricted in space by a large drainage channel, tennis courts, and two parking lots. The barren site convinced the client for a need to create a festive environment with a bright and colorful theme. The program consisted of using different textures, various materials, and multiple colors. Primary colors were used on the play structures, red on the site lights, and turquoise was used on the barrel-vaulted architecture of the bathhouse. Bright blue and white contemporary shade structures and the mauve, red, white, and blue tiles around the curvelinear forms of the pools also provided an exciting framework for swimming. A large berm was built on-site to provide a place for three winding children's slides. Raised buff-colored planters with rose brick caps help break up the swimming pool deck and provide convenient scaring places.

At Chisholm Aquatics Center, the site was located within an established park with many mature trees, meadows, and a pond. To protect and preserve the large trees, the landscape architect kept the buildings, pools, and paved areas outside the trees' drip lines. Retaining walls were placed to protect other trees from grade changes and seat walls were used to prevent pedestrian traffic from compacting the roots of these magnificent trees. In keeping with the natural theme, the design combines rough textures, earth tone colors, and neutral brick accents. Two important elements, the forest green vaulted, steep pitch roof of the bath house and the green hip roof design of the shade structures, build upon the traditional architectural design vocabulary of the space.

The City of Hurst planned for these aquatic centers to provide summertime entertainment for their residents at affordable prices. At $1.00 per person, families are not restricted in the number of times they can visit the facilities. Even for out-of-town visitors, the prices arc reasonable. Attendance has increased by 350% over previous years' records; revenues are up by over 100%. The appeal of the aquatic center is so great; the revenues generated nearly pay the City's operating expenses.

Challenge. The timing and coordination of the two projects had to be planned so as not to disrupt the swimming seasons.

Solution. The planning contract documents, and the bidding phase had to be scheduled for completion during the current swimming season. Contractors had to be ready to begin work as soon as the swimming seasons ended. The Central Aquatics Center was completed in the spring of 1996 and the Chisholm Aquatics Center was completed in the spring of 1997.

Challenge The program needed at each facility was similar, yet there was a need to match each facility with the special conditions and characteristics of each site.

Solution. The landscape architect designed Central to be a bright, colorful, festive swimming facility and designed Chisholm to blend with the natural park setting with careful siting of the buildings and pools along with proper selections of materials and colors.

It was through teamwork that the City of Hurst and the landscape architects were able to set up a, Planning program that successfully fulfills the City's needs for state-of-the-art aquatic centers that, still serve the community into the twenty-first century.