Aquatic Sports Center – Queens, New York
Design 302: Comprehensive Design Studio, Pratt Institute School of Architecture (3rd Year, Spring 2003)
Critic: Professor Donald Cromley

This project proposed an Aquatic Sports Center in Queens as part of New York City’s 2012 Olympic bid. The design was shaped around three experiential states—drowning, transcendence, and transition—expressed through circulation, spatial sequence, and program. Visitors would move from the waterfront into the competition arenas, experiencing a progression from immersion to arrival. Stacked and interconnected volumes organized pools, training areas, and spectator seating, while circulation paths heightened anticipation and framed the drama of athletic performance. The building was conceived as both a world-class Olympic venue and a lasting community facility, balancing spectacle with long-term neighborhood use.

About Professor Donald Cromley
Professor Donald Cromley (B.Arch, MIT; M.Arch, University of Pennsylvania) is an adjunct professor at Pratt Institute’s School of Architecture, specializing in housing and urban design. In his design studios, he emphasized precedent study and firsthand observation, often bringing students to exemplary sites to inform their work. His teaching provided a strong foundation in understanding program, scale, and community—an approach that shaped the development of this project.

*Additional images coming soon.