A Natural Swimming Experience (NSE) is being proposed at Borden Park to replace the existing public pool. It shall provide chemical-free swimming for 400 swimmers and will be used as a skating surface in winter. The 820-square-metre building and site program includes washrooms, change-room facilities, first-aid room, staff areas, concession, children’s pool, deep pool, outdoor showers, beaches, picnic areas, and various regeneration zones related to the pool. Two existing mid-century pool buildings will be incorporated into the overall site design. The proposal builds upon elements of the existing 1950s buildings and is inspired by Modernist style, including a horizontal emphasis and clear integration of building and site that recognizes the cultural heritage of the park. A Natural Swimming Experience (NSE) is a system consisting of a constructed body of water contained by isolating membranes; no chemicals or devices that disinfect or sterilize the water are used. In an NSE, all clarifying and cleaning of the water is achieved by passing the water through gravel filters and regeneration ponds. The regeneration ponds consist of biological filters and plants rooted hydroponically into the system. Biological principles work to break down undesirable components in the water and transform them into nutrients for the plants. Because there is no soil, plants and microbes must get all of their nutrients from the water, competing for and consuming the nutrients that would otherwise feed algae growth. Filtration in the NSE is therefore achieved in two ways: biological-mechanical (through a constructed wetland and gravel filter) and in-situ (with zooplankton). In this way, the NSE is a balanced ecosystem where the plants, micro-organisms and introduced nutrients work together to create true “living water.”
