Club Redevelopment

We are pleased to share with you the release of the much-anticipated draft brief for the redevelopment of the Williamstown Swimming and Lifesaving Club. This marks a significant step forward in our collective effort to define the vision for our club’s future.

We would like to extend our gratitude to our club members and interested community members who participated in the engagement and micro-sessions. Your feedback, and interest have been invaluable in shaping this brief. Special acknowledgement to the members of the working group; Claire Howell, Joel Goode, Sarah Vincenzini, Sam Cockfield, Iain Dickson, Gemma Byrne, and Kane Treloar – for their truely tireless efforts and insightful contributions.

Our journey to this point has involved conducting four club-wide sessions and sixteen micro-sessions, and extensive communication channels. We’ve replied to over 200 emails and had countless phone calls and conversations, providing ample opportunity for everyone to contribute their expertise and feedback. Your openness and contributions have been integral to ensuring that this brief truly reflects the collective aspirations of our membership and community.

These sessions were essential because we aimed for this brief to be the voice of our members, establishing a consensus on what we, as a club community, envision for the redevelopment. This draft brief is our shared vision for the future of the club.

The draft brief outlines qualitative ambitions for the spaces, services, and facilities our club requires to flourish in its core life-saving functions and broader mission of fostering community cohesion and well-being. Rather than being confined by a rigid checklist, we envision an iterative design process that prioritises and requires member input at every stage.

While the brief is currently in draft form and has not been shared with other external stakeholders, we invite you to review it and provide any final feedback. To facilitate this process, we will be hosting member brief feedback sessions at the club on Saturday, May 18th at 10 am. Your presence at this session is encouraged as we seek your questions, comments, and suggestions.

A summary of the suggested next steps are list below:

1. Member Feedback & Finalised Brief:

   • Conduct member communication sessions.

   • Finalise the brief based on the feedback 

   • Share the finalised brief with the members, council, architects, the community and all other key stakeholders.

   • Ensure alignment with budget, regulations, and LSV guidelines.

2. Conceptual Design Phase:

   • Work with architects to translate the brief into conceptual designs.

3. Solicit Feedback:

   • Engage club members and stakeholders for input on designs.

   • Encourage constructive feedback and incorporate perspectives.

4. Release to Members and Community:

   • Share designs with club members and community for feedback.

   • Seek input to ensure designs meet expectations.

5. Iteration and Refinement:

   • Iterate on designs based on feedback received.

   • Refine designs to align with the club’s vision and objectives.

6. Finalise concepts and move to design development.

These steps will guide the redevelopment process, ensuring that the final designs reflect the needs and aspirations of the club and community.

Thank you for your support and dedication to our club and this process. Together, we have the opportunity to create something extraordinary for the present and for generations to come.