Long Bridge Park – Aquatics & Fitness Center
Project Location
Arlington, VA
Project Type
– Civic/ Government
– Sports, Recreation, and Wellness
Services
– New Construction
The Project
New 92,000 SF aquatic and fitness center on a transformed brownfield site in Arlington, Virginia. The design of the building incorporated the idea of tessellated planes to give the impression of the building rising from the surrounding land, creating an iconic structure in an iconic location. The center is meant to transition seamlessly to the rest of Long Bridge Park and provide spaces for the community to interact with the exterior natural and urban environment as well. The facility includes a 24,000 SF 50m pool natatorium with spectator seating, a 13,000 SF leisure pool natatorium, fitness center with weight and cardio facilities, and support spaces.
Challenge
The challenge was to deliver an amenity-rich aquatic center that meets the budgetary restraints of the County while operating in a competitive design/build delivery system.
Solution
To meet the challenges, we started with a strong set of conceptual framing plans that would give the design/build contractor the competitive edge on controlling costs and win the project. We used tried and true framing systems consisting of structural steel including long span joists. We galvanized the steel, including joists in the high humidity pool environment, to protect the steel from corrosion and save the cost of high-performance paint. We reviewed numerous foundation systems that would be appropriate for the existing deep layer of fill across the site. The process led to us using dense aggregate piers as a soils improvement method that proved to save substantial dollars over traditional deep foundations.
