Temporary closure of Vancouver Aquatic Centre's 'tot pool' was caused by concrete falling from ceiling

A sign outside the Vancouver Aquatic Centre is shown in this file photo from March 2022. (CTV)

Sections of the Vancouver Aquatic Centre were closed this week after a piece of "concrete material" fell from the building's ceiling.

Styrofoam acoustic panels also "became loose" as a result of maintenance work on the centre's exterior, the City of Vancouver said in a statement.

The incident caused a week-long closure of the "tot pool" and the temporary reconfiguration of the fitness centre, the city said, adding that both facilities returned to normal operation on Thursday.

The centre's east deck remains closed, but should reopen within the next week, according to the city. In its current configuration, the main pool will not facilitate long course swims, but is "completely operational" for short course swims and middle tanks.

Repairs to the ceiling will be completed "by this weekend," the city said.

The beleaguered building has seen concrete failures before, albeit on a much larger scale than this week's incident, which the city said dislodged a chunk about four inches by two inches by one inch.

In March 2022, a section of the aquatic centre's facade came crashing down next to the facility's main entrance on Beach Avenue.

Built in 1974, the Vancouver Aquatic Centre "has almost reached the end of its functional lifespan," according to the Vancouver Park Board's "VanSplash" city-wide aquatics plan. 

That plan calls for the replacement of the VAC with "a new, large-scale pool with outdoor aquatic amenities to take advantage of the waterfront location."

A more recent document, the park board's 2023-2026 capital plan, allocates a total of $140 million toward planning, design and construction of a new aquatic centre, framing the effort not as a replacement, but as a "renewal project."