New Clark City Aquatic Center is a swimming and diving venue at the

New Clark City New Clark City is a planned community currently undergoing development, located within the Clark Special Economic Zone in the towns of Bamban and Capas in Tarlac province, Philippines. It has an area of approximately and will accommodate up to ...

in Capas, Tarlac, Philippines. It is one of the venues of the

New Clark City Sports Hub The New Clark City Sports Hub or the New Clark City Sports Complex (initially known as the Philippine Sports City or Philippine Olympic City) is a complex of sports facilities located inside the National Government Administrative Center of New ...

, which is part of the

National Government Administrative Center The National Government Administrative Center (NGAC) is a mixed-used development situated in New Clark City, Capas, Tarlac, Capas, Tarlac. It will primarily host facilities for the Philippine government such as offices of various government agenci ...

. It hosted the aquatics events of the

2019 Southeast Asian Games The 2019 Southeast Asian Games, officially known as the 30th Southeast Asian Games, or the 30th SEA Games, and commonly known as Philippines 2019, was the 30th edition of the Southeast Asian Games, a biennial regional multi-sport event which ...

and is set to host the 2023 Asian Swimming Championships.

History

The construction of the whole

, which also includes the Aquatics Center, began on April 25, 2018 with a cement-pouring ceremony. Construction of the facility costed around . By early July 2019, the aquatics center is already 85 percent complete. The venue is completed by August 2019 in time with the Philippine Swimming National Open as the first event hosted in the venue.

Architecture

The

Bases Conversion Development Authority The Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA; fil, Pangasiwaan sa Pangkaunlarang Kumbersiyon ng mga Base) is a government-owned and controlled corporation under the Office of the President of the Philippines. It is a governme ...

commissioned local architecture firm, Budji + Royal Architecture + Design to work on the

. The Aquatics Center covers an area of on a plot of land. The Aquatics Center's design was derived from the ''baklad'' a local fish trap, and the Filipino weaving and woodwork and exhibits a bamboo color theme. The design consist of a huge open shed with a prismatic roof similar to a parol made of

capiz Capiz, officially the Province of Capiz ( Capiznon/ Hiligaynon: ''Kapuoran sang Capiz''; tl, Lalawigan ng Capiz), is a province in the Philippines located in the central section of Western Visayas region. Its capital is the city of Roxas. It is ...

coating. The roofing will be made from

polytetrafluoroethylene Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) is a synthetic fluoropolymer of tetrafluoroethylene that has numerous applications. It is one of the best-known and widely applied PFAS. The commonly known brand name of PTFE-based composition is Teflon by Chemour ...

(PTFE), a fiberglass material used for its lightweight property, durability, and weather resistance. The architects intends to cover the facility but still let natural light into its interior. At daytime, the architects intended the roof to resemble capiz windows used by old Philippine houses and at night the roof will be illuminated to resemble a lit parol.

Facilities

Pools and equipment

1st_National_Open_Swimming_Championships_PH_02

The Aquatics Center has a two-level bleachers with a seating capacity of 2,000. Above the bleachers is a furnished and air-conditioned VIP lounge. It hosts three swimming pools, an

Olympic pool An Olympic-size swimming pool conforms to regulated dimensions that are large enough for international competition. This type of swimming pool is used in the Olympic Games, where the race course is in length, typically referred to as "long cou ...

, a training pool, and a diving pool. All pools have hot-steel siding and PVC linings installed. The aquatics venue also has an underwater sound system. Besides the bleachers on the ground floor. is a dryland training area The main facility is the competition pool which has a dimension of meters and has a depth of . Each of the pool's ten lanes are equipped with lap-timers in lieu of flip charts used traditionally in other aquatics venues. Adjacent to the competition pool is the diving pool has a dimension of and a depth of . The diving pool is equipped with five diving platforms. Behind the diving pool is the deep 8-lane training pool. Adjacent to the bleachers is a dryland training area which hosts a foam diving area, trampolines, and stretch equipment for athletes. The pools at the facility is accredited by the

Fédération Internationale de Natation FINA (french: Fédération internationale de natation, en, International Swimming Federation, link=yes) (to be renamed as World Aquatics by ) is the international federation recognised by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) for administer ...

(FINA), an international sport governing body for water sports.

Other

The facility's entrance is connected to the main road by a vehicle ramp while pedestrians including persons with disabilities can access the stadium through its side entry points. The lower ground floor hosts parking spaces for 26 cars and ten buses.

Use

1st National Open Swimming Championships PH 01

The aquatics center can be used for swimming and other

water sports Water (chemical formula ) is an inorganic, transparent, tasteless, odorless, and nearly colorless chemical substance, which is the main constituent of Earth's hydrosphere and the fluids of all known living organisms (in which it acts as a s ...

. The training pool while intended as a practice venue for athletes participating in international tournaments could also be used to hold local competitions. The Philippine Swimming National Open was held from August 31 to September 3, 2019 as the first event. The facility hosted the aquatics events, including water polo, as part of the

. and it is also set to host the 2021 Asian Swimming Championships in November 2021.

Gallery

DOTr, BCDA pay tribute to New Clark City labor force.jpg New Clark City Aquatic Center (Under Construction).jpg Installing Chairs at the Athletic Stadium of the New Clark City Sports Complex.jpg Aquatic Center of the New Clark City sports complex (July 19, 2019).jpg New Clark City Aquatics Center - night close-up (Capas, Tarlac; 12-08-2019).jpg New Clark City Aquatics Center - sunset (Capas, Tarlac; 12-08-2019).jpg New Clark City Aquatics Center - pool area from bleachers (Capas, Tarlac; 12-08-2019).jpg

References

{{Central Luzon attractions Swimming venues in the Philippines Diving venues New Clark City Buildings and structures in Tarlac Sports venues completed in 2019