In Canada, Europe and the USA, aquatic centres with Olympic and recreational pools were being built in big boxes, side by side, inside the same big space.

They worked: some even said they looked good.

But not me.

Recreation and training never had the same appeal. An Olympic pool is driven by dimensions required for pool, deck, diving, turns and spectator sightlines while a recreational pool is driven by nothing other than the desire to have a good time. In my mind, the two go together like oil and water. But could they work in the same container? Would this generate delight, my measure of Architecture, in either?

I began to work on this as the focus of my thesis, and then, just after I started, London had an open competition for this two-pool idea, just on a different site.. This had never bothered Mr. Machine in the Park. So I modified my thesis.

I won!