City of West Memphis Recreation and Aquatics Center

From the outset, the design of the Center was driven by the goal of creating a highly flexible facility capable of supporting a wide range of recreational programming throughout the year. Municipal recreation facilities often struggle to maintain consistent activity across different seasons, so the building was carefully planned to ensure that each major program space could operate independently while still contributing to the overall energy of the facility.

At the heart of the building is a large indoor sports complex that includes multiple competition courts designed to transition between basketball, volleyball, and pickleball configurations. This flexibility allows the facility to host local leagues, school athletics, and regional tournaments while adapting to evolving recreational trends over time. The scale of the court space also allows the facility to support large community events and gatherings when athletic programming is not scheduled.

Aquatics are a central component of the project. The natatorium features an eight-lane competition pool designed to support swim meets, training, and daily lap swimming, along with additional aquatic programming areas that accommodate lessons, water fitness classes, and recreational swimming. Upon completion, the aquatic facilities are expected to host thousands of youth participants annually through swim lessons and aquatic programs.

Additional spaces throughout the building support year-round wellness and community engagement. The facility includes a fitness center, concessions, meeting and gathering rooms, and an indoor walking track that allows residents to remain active regardless of weather conditions. These amenities create opportunities not only for recreation but also for social interaction, civic programming, and community events.

The building was also designed with long term operational efficiency in mind. The project team worked closely with operations and construction partners to refine the building layout, building systems, and structural approach to create a cost-effective facility that remains highly functional and durable for the community it serves. The majority of the building utilizes a pre-engineered metal structural system paired with insulated metal panels and integrated glazing systems, creating a durable enclosure well suited for large span recreational environments.

Throughout the design process, careful coordination between the City, design team, and project partners allowed the building program to be refined while maintaining the core recreational amenities that make the project a transformative investment for the community.

The interior design of the West Memphis Recreation and Aquatics Center was evolved from its constraints and color. As a bond-funded, city-owned community space, the two most important considerations were budget and durability. These parameters often lead to purely functional spaces that are not visually beautiful or interesting. As a result, Project Luong approached the interiors with the goal to create a space that has personality, is beautiful, and maintains functionality for its community.

A key driver of telling a color story within the space is using the existing visual identity of West Memphis Parks and Recreation. Colors, shapes, and other graphic elements drawn from the City’s logo and website were translated into the architectural language of the building. This approach allowed the design to introduce vibrancy and character while remaining grounded in a familiar community identity.

Dull, exposed concrete floors gain new life with color staining and custom stamped designs in strategic locations. Durable masonry blocks are rotated and painted inside with bright colors. This leads to a unique and striking screen wall dividing spaces. Oriented strand board, typically used as a substrate, is elevated into a finished material that contributes to wayfinding and texture within the space. Lighting and acoustics were carefully integrated to further enhance the interior environment. Suspended acoustic dampening elements introduce layers of color overhead while improving sound performance in high-activity areas such as the lobby and circulation zones. These elements create a more comfortable experience for users while reinforcing the visual identity of the building.

Rather than concealing utilitarian materials, the design embraces them. Industrial systems and finishes are expressed in a way that highlights their inherent qualities, transforming them into defining architectural features. This approach allows the project to achieve a balance between durability, cost efficiency, and visual impact.

The end result is an interior environment that is fun, dynamic, and built to last, delivering a space that is both highly functional and a colorful reflection of the community.

Coming to West Memphis, Arkansas.