Yakima Valley Aquatic Center

Project Details

Yakima Valley

Home to more than 11,000 acres (45 km2) of vineyards, picturesque Yakima Valley, located in the state of Washington, is one of the Pacific Northwest’s most fertile growing areas. A popular tourist destination for wine enthusiasts, the area also offers a variety of family-friendly attractions, including museums, performance venues and scenic outdoor trails.

DESIGN CHALLENGE

With contributions from over 400 community donors, the city of Yakima, and its local YMCA and Rotary Clubs, plans were initiated to construct a brand new, $21 million dollar, state-of-the-art Aquatics Center. The main goal of the project was to design a facility that promoted a healthy lifestyle through strong social engagement and physical activity.

SOLUTION

For this project, our internal team of aquatic play experts worked in collaboration with Water Technology Inc. (WTI) to develop an innovative and nature-inspired aquatic play adventure utilizing features from the Grasslands product collection.

A sight to behold and bringing play to new heights, the beauty and wonder of nature comes indoors by way of this stunning multi-level Activity Tower. Installed overtop of a flowing lazy river, exciting elevations, spacious non-slip decks, fun slides, and multiple interactive play opportunities abound for children of all ages and play styles.

Fixed to the center of the two tallest play pods, bouquets of elegant Aneth Blooms create a floral canopy of showering water whilst splashing insects that include Sparx the dragonfly, Charlotte the spider and Flutter the butterfly perch throughout the structure inviting imaginative play.

Interactive Water Leaf and Ladybug panel splashers heighten the excitement by splashing those floating below and a captivating, translucent Dew Drop dumping bucket, located above the wading pool, draws crowds with its refreshing splash!

To keep the energy flowing, two slide flumes, one larger for thrill-seekers and the other smaller for tots, provide a quick exit route into the adjacent wading pool.

IMPACT

Perfectly serving the community it was designed for, the new Yakima Valley Aquatic Center is a spectacular facility that delivers on its promise to provide healthy social interaction for families, at risk youth and the entire community now and for many generations to come.