Ripple Effect: An inspiration catalogue for inclusive and accessible aquatic facility design is a new digital publication created to encourage the design, delivery, and operations of aquatic facilities that support people of all ages, backgrounds, and abilities.
For millions of people with disabilities or sensory differences, swimming pools are exclusionary spaces. This catalogue aims to inspire architects, designers, operators, and decision-makers to create aquatic environments that remove barriers to access. It was developed by hcma architecture + design in collaboration with The Danish Foundation for Culture and Sports Facilities (Lokale og Anlægsfonden).
The catalogue seeks to strengthen the development of more inclusive and accessible aquatic facilities where everyone feels welcome. The ambition is to advance social sustainability by creating better environments for community, movement, and participation.
A key goal is to share knowledge and inspiration that can be translated into real-world solutions. The catalogue encompasses 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 practical ideas, design strategies, and clear guidance, as well as best-practice examples from facilities from around the world, including Australia, the Netherlands, Japan, England, and Canada.
Design strategies are informed by hcma’s decades of experience designing inclusive and accessible aquatic facilities, as well as recent post-occupancy evaluations conducted by hcma's Persons with Lived Experience team. This team includes individuals with a wide range of lived experience including mobility, dexterity, pain, vision, hearing, and cognitive disabilities, as well as neurodivergence. These evaluations were immersive in nature and included facility tours, swim sessions, and group discussions at three indoor and outdoor aquatic facilities.
Overcoming barriers to access is a design problem that can have significant impacts on public health, equity, and social resilience. This catalogue aims to be a rallying cry for change.
Melissa Higgs, Principal at hcma architecture + design, says: “Aquatic facilities are vital pieces of social infrastructure. When we design pools that welcome everyone, we strengthen the bonds of community and remind ourselves that belonging is created through thoughtful design and intentional practice.”
Jakob Færch & Jens Øyås Møller, Development Consultants for the Danish Foundation for Culture and Sports Facilities, say: "At the Danish Foundation for Culture and Sports Facilities, we hope the Ripple Effect catalogue will inspire a genuine desire to design, build, and operate public aquatic facilities where everyone feels welcome. We are delighted to share it with anyone who has an interest in advancing social sustainability in public aquatic facilities."
About hcma architecture + design
hcma designs buildings, brands, and shared experiences that maximize positive impact. Our mission is to help people thrive—in the built environment, and beyond. Our interdisciplinary team listens with curiosity and care, developing design solutions that include, enable, and connect. This work is driven by a desire for better social and environmental performance outcomes, stewarded across generations. We start each project by asking, “Who is this for”, rooted in our conviction that human connections are essential for healthy, resilient communities.
About The Danish Foundation for Culture and Sports Facilities
The Danish Foundation for Culture and Sports Facilities (Lokale og Anlægsfonden) works to create sustainable and inclusive meeting places for culture, sport, and outdoor activities in Denmark, Greenland, and the Faroe Islands. Guided by its vision, “Innovative shared spaces for movement, joy, and quality in leisure life,” the foundation supports projects that enhance everyday leisure experiences in physical environments of high-quality. As a foundation, we generate and share knowledge, provide professional guidance, and offer financial support for physical facilities that combine innovative architecture with diverse and engaging activities. The foundation manages public venture capital of approximately 10 million euros per year and operates as an independent expert advisory body under the Danish Ministry of Culture.
