Carnegie Memorial
Sharing CO-OP Studio's Design Enhanced With Our Renderings
55 years of summer fun
After 55 years of fulfilling its duties, the much-loved Caulfield Memorial Pool—reborn as the Carnegie Memorial Swimming Pool—has entered a new era. The long-anticipated $75 million redevelopment of the swimming and leisure centre has been completed and officially reopened on January 8, 2025. Since then, it has welcomed over 55,000 visitors in just the first few months, averaging 1,600 daily visits—a sign of its immediate return to community life.
CO-OP Studio was appointed directly by the Council to oversee and take care of the modernization of the complex. With deep roots in the country and extensive experience in designing aquatic centers and multi-sport complexes, the architecture firm has successfully delivered a state-of-the-art facility for the community.
The centre now operates year-round and has become a benchmark in public aquatic architecture—not just for its generous spatial planning and civic accessibility, but for achieving a 6-Star Green Star design rating, the highest ever awarded to an Australian aquatic centre at the time of its completion.
Filming the concept
CO-OP dedicated a lot of time envisioning the future of the Carnegie Memorial Swimming Pool, working closely with the city and its community. Based on the work we’d done for the Spencer Cricket Centre and Maranatha School, we were asked to join the team and help them again with a handful of photo-real architectural visualizations.
After delivering our initial exterior images, the team encouraged us to explore filming the concept. This led to the creation of a 40-second preview, which proved so compelling that the client requested an extended version with a completely new script.
The challenge was to refine and expand upon an already approved and well-developed concept. Now, with the Carnegie Memorial Swimming Pool fully realized and open to the public, we are proud to have played a part in its transformation.
With construction now complete, we’re proud to see how closely our renderings anticipated the built reality—down to the atmosphere, materiality, and light. Few things are more satisfying in our work than seeing images become places.
Learning process
Entering the world of architectural renderings offers the opportunity to discover and create something that has never existed before. Poetically speaking, we have the chance to leave a mark on this world and be part of something new. Even in post-production, the tiniest details and subtle lighting adjustments can feel like an endless process.
Animation, on the other hand, is a completely different experience—full of motion, experimentation with camera movements, dynamic compositions, and seamless transitions. The focus shifts from refining details to achieving the perfect edit.
The project was completed and reopened on January 8, 2025, welcoming 55,000 visitors since its reopening, with an average of 1,600 daily visits based on the latest statistics.
The $75 million redevelopment not only revitalized the facility but also earned a 6-Star Green Star design rating, making it the highest-rated aquatic center design review in Australia.
In 2025, the project was shortlisted for both Public Architecture and Sustainable Architecture in the Australian Institute of Architects Victorian Chapter Awards—a recognition of both CO.OP Studio’s vision and the collaborative effort behind its realization.
Project details
Location
Melbourne, Australia
Partner
Client
Team
Bence Falussy
Matteo Piccini
Fabio Tavola
