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Threading two hours of high-octane & adrenaline fuelled fun into a vertically stacked city centre water park

The Wave Aquatic Park, Coventry

A high octane city centre water park and leisure facility, mixing traditional leisure centre facilities with water park slides and spa.

Architect: FaulknerBrowns

For: Coventry City Council

We worked with Engenuiti on the development of a structurally complex and challenging project. Throughout, they provided a team that contained the expertise and experience that was necessary. We really enjoyed working with them. Paul Breed – CV Life, Coventry

Set alongside the 70-metre-high medieval Christchurch spire, one of Coventry’s most recognisable landmarks, The Wave creates a high-quality, inclusive destination that supports the city’s ongoing regeneration. The development brings together a major indoor water park with a wide range of leisure facilities, including multiple slides, a lazy river, wave pool, day spa, 25-metre swimming pool, 120-station gym, dance studio and squash courts. At night, the building is dramatically illuminated, forming a striking addition to the cityscape and complementing the neighbouring City Centre South regeneration, which will reshape Coventry’s retail core in the years ahead.

With the exception of the sensitive area adjacent to the historic spire, the site is tightly constrained by surrounding busy roads. The building has been carefully designed to maximise use of the compact city-centre footprint, resulting in its distinctive form. A circular, drum-shaped structure accommodates the upper levels, while the ground and first floors sit within a more rectilinear plinth below.

The structure is formed from a steel frame, with deep cellular beams at the lower levels providing the stiffness required to support the pool tanks. Above, the centre rises to 19 metres and is entirely column-free, creating a 52-metre clear span achieved through a rooftop diagrid of inclined steel tubular trusses. This open volume houses the major water slides, which are suspended directly from the roof structure.

Construction logistics were challenging due to limited space for storage and plant. The site was accessed from two points, supported by a roadside laydown area, with all lifting operations carried out using mobile cranes rather than a tower crane.

The water park features nine slides, including the Navigator - a water-based rollercoaster combining uphill and downhill sections within a fully enclosed tube - and the Speed Slide, which delivers a dramatic 20-metre drop. Each attraction integrates lighting and sound to create an immersive experience. Alongside the more adrenaline-fuelled rides, calmer features such as the wave pool and lazy river ensure the facility is welcoming and accessible to visitors of all ages and abilities, including families with young children and those with mobility needs.

Photography (c) Martine Hamilton Knight

Awards

UK Pool Awards - 2020 Water Leisure Venue of the Year Winner

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