Leisure centre goes all-electric

Jane Hone introduces us to the recently renovated Northcote Aquatic and Recreation Centre.

Jane Hone

Neighbourhood leisure centres serve an important function when it comes to community-building and public health. Yet given their scale, they also tend to be highly unsustainable. Melbourne’s Darebin Council have just unveiled a large, allelectric, 6 Star Green Star facility, Northcote Aquatic and Recreation Centre (NARC), on the site of the original Northcote pool. Gracing the exterior is a motif of a sacred kingfisher—a nod to the centre’s sustainability aspirations, since kingfishers only nest in areas where the environment is in balance. The carbon neutral NARC is powered by a large 450-kilowatt array of solar panels (with battery storage), which provide energy during the day. There is a renewable power purchase agreement for the building that provides renewably sourced power in the evenings. The centre also features rainwater tanks, electric…

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Renew (Digital) - 1 Issue, 166 / Jan-Mar 2024

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