The port of Le Havre

When the port of Le Havre was given new quays directly at the mouth of the Seine into the English Channel at the begin­ning of the century, the vacant areas of the site were incre­asingly used for resi­den­tial cons­truc­tion. The docks became a resi­den­tial and leisure area with shop­ping and leisure faci­li­ties.

“Les Bains des Docks” by Jean Nouvel was a central part of this restruc­tu­ring. The 5,000 m², award-winning swim­ming pool impresses with its cubic shapes, bright spaces, bright white color scheme and the contras­ting inter­play of light and shadow. The only excep­tion to the mono­chrome color scheme is the lively play area for children. The randomly distri­buted windows and openings that allow a view of the bath­rooms from the outside are also charac­te­ristic. The projec­tions, niches and recesses struc­ture the inte­rior.

When some areas of this archi­tec­tural icon had to be reno­vated in 2022, the main task was to replace the ageing skylights. Not only did the tech­nical and physical requi­re­ments have to be met, the windows also had to harmo­nize with the design of the sophisti­cated exis­ting buil­ding.

Velux was ther­e­fore chosen.

Les Bains des Docks

From the outside, Les Bains des Docks is a rather incon­spi­cuous black, flat block to the south of the harbor basin. Its façade of black glazed prefa­bri­cated concrete elements rests on a base of sand­blasted concrete.

The three areas of sport (with the 50 x 21 m outdoor pool), fun and well­ness are accessed through the central entrance hall.

After 15 years of inten­sive use, it was neces­sary to reno­vate this entrance area and reseal the roof and sola­rium. The charac­te­ristic design elements were to be retained at all costs.

Mois­ture

Nume­rous skylights had to be replaced in the course of sealing the roof.

The biggest chall­enge in swim­ming pools is dealing with mois­ture. As rooms with a high salt and chlo­rine content are prone to corro­sion of metal compon­ents, the plan­ners were looking for a daylight and venti­la­tion solu­tion that would meet these requi­re­ments.

Before the reno­va­tion, Les Bains des Docks had tradi­tional glass roofs, which were installed at a very low pitch of just two degrees and were not water­tight. They ther­e­fore had to be replaced – with Velux Modular Skylights.

These windows are parti­cu­larly suitable for instal­la­tion on a very low roof pitch and due to the non-corro­sive compo­site mate­rial. The corro­sion-resistant fiber­glass compo­site profiles are main­ten­ance-free and require no addi­tional coating. Thanks to their concealed chain drives, the openable modules of the daylight solu­tion offer an elegant and discreet appearance and ther­e­fore blend in perfectly with their surroun­dings.

Team­work

The product is one thing, the instal­la­tion on site is another.

For Les Bains des Docks, the Velux plan­ners are working closely with the flat roof company ENC to carry out the struc­tural work, water­pro­ofing and instal­la­tion of the skylights. The deli­very of the elements was also adapted to the pace of the cons­truc­tion work on site and spread over three months.

A total of almost 400 Velux Modular Skylights in conti­nuous roof­light and saddle roof­light versions were installed. Velux Commer­cial also supplied special vapor barrier connec­tion strips, a corre­spon­ding vapor barrier adhe­sive tape and ridge cove­rings speci­ally desi­gned for swim­ming pools.

The new skylights provide valuable natural light while offe­ring dura­bi­lity, perfect sealing and improved acou­stics. The zenith light that falls on the pools is reflected by the bril­liant white walls and creates a unique atmo­sphere.

Fits

It was and is crucial that the archi­tec­tural iden­tity of the buil­ding was preserved during the reno­va­tion of Les Bains des Docks.

The Velux Modular Skylights blend seam­lessly into the archi­tec­tural concept thanks to their slim profiles and discreet appearance. Of course, such a promi­nent buil­ding is also about func­tion­a­lity and the mate­rial proper­ties under diffi­cult physical condi­tions – and here both fit.