An inclusive aquatic facility is more than a building—it’s an invitation for people of all backgrounds and abilities to thrive.
But for millions of people with disabilities or sensory differences, barriers to access turn swimming pools into exclusionary spaces. It’s a design problem that can have significant impacts on public health, equity, and social resilience.
Ripple Effect, a collaboration between hcma and the Danish Foundation for Culture and Sports Facilities, was created to inspire architects, designers, and decision-makers to design, deliver, and operate aquatic facilities in ways that respond to the wide range of human diversity.
The catalogue considers the full experience of an aquatic centre—how people move through each space, what they feel, and how easily they can participate. Each section offers thoughtful design strategies, from accessible digital planning tools and intuitive wayfinding to sensory-friendly environments and community-focused programming. Inside, you'll discover practical ideas, visual inspiration, and clear guidance to help create aquatic experiences that support people of all ages, backgrounds, and abilities.
Our design strategies are informed by decades of experience designing inclusive and accessible aquatic facilities, as well as post-occupancy evaluations conducted by hcma's Persons with Lived Experience team. The team includes individuals with wide range of lived experience including mobility, dexterity, pain, vision, hearing, and cognitive disabilities, as well as neurodivergence. These evaluations were immersive in nature. They included facility tours, swim sessions, and group discussions at three indoor and outdoor aquatic facilities with a range of competition, leisure, and wellness amenities.
Aquatic facilities are not just places to learn to swim or engage in competitive sport—they’re spaces for exercise, therapy, and play. Vital to civic life, they create opportunities for people to gather, interact, and build shared identity and connections. They provide the context for positive social engagement, helping nurture relationships and belonging.
At its core, this guide champions something deeply human: the right for everyone to move, connect, and feel at home in the water. It's a call to action. For architects, designers, operators, and decision-makers: to be intentional, to challenge assumptions, and to design aquatic environments that truly belong to everyone.
Let's dive in. Download Ripple Effect: An inspiration catalogue for inclusive and accessible aquatic facility design.
