Dollan Aqua Centre

Story

Dollan Aqua Centre is a 20th-century category A listed building in East Kilbride, Scotland.Designed by Alexander Buchanan Campbell, it was opened in 1968 as Scotland's first 50-metre swimming pool. It consists principally of pre-stressed concrete and imitates a colossal marquee - the vaulted 324 ft parabolic arched roof appears to be held down by pairs of 'V' shaped-struts that meet the ground at a 30° angle.Buchanan Campbell admitted that he had been influenced by the architecture of the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan and the designs by Kenzo Tange for the gymnasium there.In 1993, the international conservation organisation DOCOMOMO listed Dollan Baths as one of sixty key monuments in Scottish post-war architecture. It was listed in 2002 as a Category A building by Historic Scotland.Structural engineering surveys showed that parts of the pool surround and pool tank were in a state of near collapse and emergency work had to be carried out to install temporary structural supports. About one year later, the centre was closed in October 2008 to allow a substantial programme, consisting of structural repairs and replacements and the installation of new structural supports. This required a significant amount of structural engineering design input. Fortunately, the structure of the unique roof was not affected.