Wrexham Waterworld, a still-operational leisure centre just off the A5152, has been granted Grade II-listed status by Cadw, the Welsh governments historic environment body.The centres most striking characteristic is its reinforced concrete roof, described as a swooping, manta ray-like hyperbolic parabaloid by architectural heritage campaigners The Twentieth Century Society (C20).The 47 x 47m structure, built between 1967-70 to designs by architect Frederick D Williamson and engineer Gerald A Williamson, is the only hyperbolic paraboloid roof in Wales, according to the campaign group.AdvertisementThe diamond-shaped leisure centre incorporates a swimming pool with a water slide and viewing area, a gym and other leisure facilities.C20 has hailed the building as the key surviving example of an indoor swimming pool of the post-war period in Wales [which] displays technological innovation and virtuosity as the first hypar roof in Wales, built on a scale that far exceeded any of its UK predecessors.A previous attempt to have the centre listed failed in 2014 after Cadw determined that the leisure centre had been altered too significantly to be considered as an exemplar building of its type.But the heritage organisation changed its mind after C20 Cymru submitted a second listing application in October 2022, prompting a re-assessment of its architectural worth.C20s most recent listing bid formed part of a campaign by the organisation, launched in 2022, to celebrate the architecture of the leisure centre and to protect the most historic examples.AdvertisementPosting on X on Thursday (20 February), C20 Society and C20 Cymru said they were celebrating the fifth Leisure Centre to be listed as a result of our ongoing nationwide campaign.Wrexham Waterworld is the first leisure centre in Wales to be listed as part of the campaign and follows four listings for buildings in England among them FaulknerBrowns inventive 1980s Doncaster Dome and Trevor Skemptons 1970s Richard Dunn Sports Centre in Bradford.