Designing for Community Impact — Next Generation of Recreational Facilities

Belinda Goh is a Senior Principal in Populous’ Sydney office. With over 20 years of experience, she has worked on sports venue and facility projects of various scales, ranging from training centers to large stadiums.

I recently had the incredible opportunity to present at the National Sports & Physical Activity Convention (NSC) in Melbourne, representing Populous. My presentation, “Designing for Community Impact — Next Generation of Recreational Facilities,” highlighted how innovative design fosters functionality and strives to future-proof facilities by integrating physical, mental and social health outcomes.

Populous has been a driving force in shaping some of the world’s most beloved venues for the past 40 years. Our extensive knowledge of design and code requirements for sports and community venues enables us to cater to multiple stakeholders, including athletes, sports governing bodies, and the broader community.

Designing facilities that leave a lasting impact requires a deep understanding of the sports and recreation landscape to best serve the evolving needs of the next generation. Our approach is centred on inclusivity, catering to everyone from grassroots participants to elite athletes, while also being adaptable to changing expectations.

At Populous, we involve key stakeholders and the community throughout every project design stage. This collaborative approach ensures the creation of functional, flexible, and sustainable designs that provide long-term financial viability and community benefits. As designers, we must engage genuinely with users and communities, adopt sustainable practices, understand operational needs, and strive to deliver substantial value within our clients’ budgets.

Our approach to designing community recreational facilities emphasises physical, mental, and social health outcomes through five key design drivers: Convergence, Flexibility, Community, Technology, and Training. These themes are shaping the next generation of recreational facilities worldwide, elevating their social impact and community value.

1. Convergence: Creating integrated health and wellbeing hubs that connect communities beyond traditional fitness centres, meeting broader health needs.
2. Flexibility: Designing adaptable, nimble, and scalable facilities that support collaboration and maximise utilisation and long-term sustainability.
3. Community: Creating inclusive wellness and social hubs that meet the needs of diverse populations and facilitate seamless recreation experiences.
4. Technology: Enabling personalised and customised recreation experiences through technological innovations and integrated health monitoring capabilities.
5. Training: Creation of hybrid sport and recreation spaces for all users for fitness training with access to nutrition, analysis, and recovery facilities.

These themes are integral to Populous’ design approach. We shared three projects as successful examples of how these themes foster innovation in recreational facilities for success at elite sporting and community levels:

• Football Victoria – Home of the Matildas, Victoria, Australia: The first national women’s football team training facility, integrated with state football programs within the La Trobe University Precinct.
• Aurora South-East Recreation Center, Colorado, USA: A regional community sport and recreational facility serving the south-east communities of Colorado.
• Wiigulga Sports Complex, Woolgoolga, NSW, Australia: A regional multi-purpose sport and recreational facility serving the mid-north coast communities of NSW.

The IAKS NSC event in Melbourne highlighted our industry’s dynamic and forward-thinking nature. It was an honour to contribute to the dialogue and be part of a community and industry dedicated to innovative design. I am excited to apply the broader insights gained from this convention experience to my work at Populous, continuing to shape the next generation of recreational facilities that deliver substantial community value.