Amherst Veterans Memorial Pool

This newly commissioned bathhouse replaces an aging bathhouse in a community park in Amherst, MA. The program includes lifeguard/office/concessions, changing booths, outdoor showers, restrooms, locker rooms, community room, kitchenette, pool storage and mechanical room. The project borders residential neighborhoods and natural parkland and is central to the school district’s high school, playing fields, and track, providing a central, intergenerational gathering hub within walking distance. The Veterans Memorial is reconceived as a plaza adjacent to the new community room and porch.

The project is phased, with a preliminary building replacement in Phase 1 followed by a larger park redevelopment in Phase 2. The pool itself and a large berm adjacent to the new building inform a low, layered approach to the building, with programmed spaces below a unifying Corten steel form that houses both an extensive green roof as well as a significant PV array to meet the Town’s Net Zero Municipal Buildings bylaw. The new community room and variable access to the building extends use of the facility into the offseason. Sitework includes a green infrastructure “river” that addresses site water flow but also organizes the site and pathways. Bidding under Chapter 149 is anticipated to take place in early 2025, with construction occurring in parallel with the 2025 pool operations. Construction completion is anticipated for Fall 2026.