Hale School Aquatics Facility

Replacing an ageing pool at one of Perth’s most established independent schools meant designing a facility that could serve competitive swimmers and water polo players simultaneously, without compromising either. The result is a 50m × 25m × 2m competition pool alongside a dedicated 25m × 17m learn-to-swim pool, with a filtration specification that produces water clarity well above typical school pool standards.

Facility Overview

Hale School required a full replacement of its existing aquatic infrastructure; not an upgrade, but a ground-up design brief. The new competition pool was specified at 50m × 25m × 2m depth to accommodate both FINA-compliant competitive swimming and water polo configurations, placing particular demands on hydraulic design to maintain consistent lane conditions across both uses. The adjacent learn-to-swim pool at 25m × 17m needed to operate independently without cross-contamination or shared load on the filtration system.

The site also carried a legacy complication: an existing geothermal heating system that, following the new pools’ commissioning, developed operational difficulties significant enough to drive up running costs for the school. This extended Oceanis’ involvement beyond the original scope.

Oceanis’ Role

Working in collaboration with Christou Design Group as the architect of record and Total Project Management, Oceanis led the water treatment and hydraulic engineering from concept through to post-construction support.

The scope covered concept design, schematic and design development, detailed documentation, procurement, construction administration, and commissioning. Following the handover, a support contract was established to address the geothermal system’s operational issues and provide ongoing maintenance assistance, including operator training and water chemistry management.

Outcomes & Impact

The ultra-fine filtration system Oceanis specified produces water clarity measurably above standard school pool benchmarks, which resulted in a meaningful operational outcome for a facility used for competitive events and daily school programmes. Resolving the geothermal system difficulties brought ongoing operating costs under control for the school after commissioning. Operator training and water chemistry support ensured the facility could be maintained to a consistent standard without ongoing consultant dependency.