International Swimming Hall of Fame and Museum
The new masterplan and design for the International Swimming Hall of Fame (ISHOF) and Aquatic Facility incorporates two new iconic buildings that bookend the existing peninsula.聽 At the western side rising above the Intracoastal Waterway is the ISHOF Museum building.聽 It houses a 20,000 SF museum space along with a large 7,000+ SF main ballroom and a junior 2,500+ SF event space both with breathtaking views of the Intracoastal, the Aquatic Facility and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. This building also houses new parking facilities for up to 202 vehicles, a promenade and water taxi station at the western end of the peninsula open to the public that skims the edge of the waterway.聽 The building also includes a roof top restaurant with outdoor dining.
The Aquatic Facility is further integrated within the new building鈥檚 footprint through the inclusion of a new covered teaching pool, restrooms and an administrative office.聽 The originally planned 500 seat grandstand that was removed from the aquatic center renovation scope has now been incorporated into the west building overlooking the existing pools and the new 89 foot (27 meter) tall dive tower.聽 New VIP viewing suites on the new ISHOF Museum level lead out with direct access to the new grandstands with a view of the entire aquatic center.
The proposed ISHOF east building which overlooks the beach, DC Alexander Park and Seabreeze Boulevard will create a new monumental gateway to the Aquatic Facility and serve as a Welcome Center for the museum to the west.聽 It will house a street side caf茅, a museum welcome center, a new Ocean Rescue office facility for the City as well as leasable commercial space. There are two unique and inviting exterior terraces that are part of this building both of which will be accessible to the public. These terraces will allow visitors to enjoy their coffee and will provide spectacular views of the aquatic center, ocean, DC Alexander Park and the stunning skyline of Ft. Lauderdale.聽 These terraces could also be used as event space and will make a tremendous viewing location for events at the aquatic center.
Both the new east and west buildings are designed with large cantilevering slabs reading as crisp white horizontal planes against the brilliant blue shades of the pools and the sky.聽 The facades are created with floor-to-ceiling glass and are shaded by the eyebrows of the floors extending past the window walls.聽 There are expansive terraces as the buildings welcoming both internal and external experiences with the playful design of the letters SWIM and DIVE on the east building fa莽ades.
The essence of the design is multi-fold including the goal of creating an iconic destination for the City of Ft. Lauderdale.聽 The grandeur of the design conveys an exciting, inspiring image of the great future being forged in Fort Lauderdale while respecting the city鈥檚 past and the city’s history supporting swimming and diving.
