Not every plan­ning chall­enge is a disad­van­tage. Some­times, it is precisely these chal­lenges that give rise to the most compel­ling solu­tions. At the new Main Bad Born­heim, the buil­ding site—which contained rubble and conta­mi­nated soil—forced the plan­ning team to forgo a tradi­tional base­ment. Instead of a base­ment that would have been costly to cons­truct, the mecha­nical and utility spaces were housed enti­rely on the ground floor, while the pool area was moved up to the first floor.

This unusual layout offered several advan­tages. Not only did it signi­fi­cantly reduce cons­truc­tion costs and resource consump­tion, but it also opened up new perspec­tives for visi­tors. Gene­rous glazing brings natural light deep into the buil­ding and offers unob­s­tructed views of the green spaces on the Born­heim hillside. What began as a tech­nical neces­sity thus became a defi­ning archi­tec­tural feature of the entire project.

With appro­xi­m­ately 900 m² of water surface area, the Main Bad Born­heim caters equally to fami­lies, recrea­tional swim­mers, schools, clubs, and serious athletes. The recrea­tional pool complex combines an adven­ture pool, a children’s area, a spray park, and two slides into a diverse aquatic land­scape, while the sports hall takes a back seat.

The 25-meter pool, featuring six lanes, a diving plat­form, and a movable floor, provides flexible trai­ning and compe­ti­tion condi­tions. The faci­li­ties are comple­mented by a sepa­rate teaching pool. A spacious glass wall visually sepa­rates the recrea­tional and sports areas while provi­ding the neces­sary acou­stic sepa­ra­tion.

The sauna area, also located on the upper floor and featuring indoor and outdoor saunas, a steam room, a land­scaped atrium, and spacious rela­xa­tion areas, comple­ments the faci­lity with a distinct rela­xa­tion area that blends harmo­niously into the overall design.

The quality of the Main Bad Born­heim is not based on a single idea, but rather on the inter­play of many decis­ions. The compact, three-story design alone reduces the buil­ding enve­lope and thus mini­mizes heat loss over the long term. Skylights bring natural light deep into the buil­ding, while durable, low-main­ten­ance mate­rials mini­mize main­ten­ance and clea­ning costs throug­hout the building’s entire life cycle.

Solu­tions like these do not emerge in isola­tion at the drawing board. They develop through close colla­bo­ra­tion between archi­tects, specia­list desi­gners, and the contrac­tors, who contri­bute their exper­tise in cons­truc­tion, mate­rial selec­tion, and imple­men­ta­tion. Parti­cu­larly in the case of a tech­ni­cally chal­len­ging struc­ture such as an indoor swim­ming pool, this colla­bo­ra­tive part­ner­ship deter­mines whether design quality, energy effi­ci­ency, and cost-effec­ti­ve­ness are ulti­m­ately achieved.

The Main Bad Born­heim is thus also the result of precise and colla­bo­ra­tive execution—from the initial plan­ning stages through to the craft­sman­ship on the cons­truc­tion site.

The building’s tech­nical systems are also consis­t­ently desi­gned to support the goal of resource-effi­cient opera­tion. A photo­vol­taic system with 450 modules gene­rates up to 150,000 kilo­watt-hours of elec­tri­city annu­ally. It is supple­mented by a combined heat and power plant as well as exten­sive heat reco­very from venti­la­tion and bathwater systems. In addi­tion, the tech­nical infra­struc­ture has already been put in place to utilize waste heat from the neigh­boring ice rink in the future.

Rain­water is used for clea­ning and wate­ring the outdoor areas, while a rain­water reten­tion system reli­eves pres­sure on the sewer system during heavy rain­fall. Energy-effi­cient LED lighting and durable mate­rials round out the sustaina­bi­lity concept. This issue played an important role even during the cons­truc­tion phase: The cons­truc­tion site was orga­nized in a resource-effi­cient manner and certi­fied by the DGNB as a sustainable cons­truc­tion site.

What you’ll learn here:

The Main Bad Born­heim demons­trates that sustaina­bi­lity begins long before the buil­ding’s mecha­nical and elec­trical systems are installed. Sound decis­ions made early in the plan­ning process—such as forgoing a base­ment or opting for a compact design—can conserve resources while simul­ta­neously enhan­cing a buil­ding’s quality.

However, a project only becomes econo­mic­ally sustainable in the long term if archi­tec­ture, tech­no­logy, and craft­sman­ship are considered toge­ther from the very begin­ning. It is precisely this synergy that trans­forms a good idea into a bath­room that works over the long term.

The future of many indoor swim­ming pools depends not only on new cons­truc­tion, but above all on exis­ting faci­li­ties. The Hörde Indoor Swim­ming Pool is a striking example of how a well-planned reno­va­tion, carried out with dedi­cated part­ners and opera­tors, can ensure the long-term preser­va­tion of an important sports faci­lity. The first part of our report focuses prima­rily on the story behind this exem­plary project.

When people in Germany talk about indoor swim­ming pools, the conver­sa­tion often revolves around a backlog of reno­va­tions, rising opera­ting costs, or impen­ding closures. The Hörde Indoor Swim­ming Pool tells a diffe­rent story. It shows that preser­ving exis­ting sports faci­li­ties can be successful even under diffi­cult condi­tions when dedi­cated people take respon­si­bi­lity and strong part­ners work toge­ther to find a solu­tion.

The history of swim­ming in Dort­mund-Hörde is closely intert­wined with the district’s indus­trial deve­lo­p­ment and swim­ming culture. The most promi­nent local club is the SSC Hörde. For many decades, its indoor pool has been an inte­gral part of sporting life in southern Dort­mund. Gene­ra­tions of children have learned to swim here; schools use the pool for swim­ming lessons, and clubs use it for trai­ning and compe­ti­tions. In addi­tion, the faci­lity serves as an important gathe­ring place for recrea­tional and health-oriented sports.

This makes the pool much more than just a sports facility—it is a piece of social infra­struc­ture and an important part of the neigh­bor­hood.

The Hörde 54/58 Swim­ming and Sports Club (e. V.) plays a special role in this regard. Since 2003, the club has been opera­ting the indoor pool on its own—a model that was excep­tional then and remains so today. Thanks to a great deal of volun­teer dedi­ca­tion, orga­niza­tional exper­tise, and a lot of passion, the club has succeeded not only in main­tai­ning the faci­lity but also in conti­nuously impro­ving it.

Today, the pool offers much more than just tradi­tional swim­ming lessons. School swim­ming programs, club and compe­ti­tive sports, aqua fitness, scuba diving, a gym, a sauna, as well as preven­tive health and physical therapy services make the faci­lity a versa­tile sports and health center for people of all ages—and its reach extends far beyond the club itself.

Despite this dedi­ca­tion, the passage of time had also taken its toll on the Hörde Indoor Swim­ming Pool. In parti­cular, the central 25-meter pool had dete­rio­rated to such an extent that a complete reno­va­tion was neces­sary. Toge­ther with the City of Dort­mund, which provided finan­cial support for the project, SSC Hörde decided to under­take a compre­hen­sive moder­niza­tion to ensure the long-term opera­tion of the faci­lity for schools, clubs, and the general public.

It is parti­cu­larly worth noting in this context that, to opti­mize swim­ming instruc­tion, the faci­lity has been desi­gned to allow the five stan­dard compe­ti­tion lanes to be converted into six trai­ning lanes with reduced lane widths.

It became clear early on that the project would go far beyond a simple pool reno­va­tion. The exis­ting struc­ture, the current diving faci­lity, and the unique spatial condi­tions called for a solu­tion that had to be both tech­ni­cally sound and econo­mic­ally viable.

Deye Consul­ting of Hatten was commis­sioned to handle the plan­ning. Toge­ther with its tech­no­logy partner, Myrtha Pools, the engi­nee­ring firm deve­loped a reno­va­tion concept speci­fi­cally tail­ored to the chal­lenges posed by the exis­ting struc­ture. The goal was to preserve the exis­ting pool geometry, provide long-term protec­tion for the buil­ding struc­ture, and at the same time create the condi­tions for modern, safe, and cost-effec­tive opera­tion.

Thal­lessa Frei­zeit­an­lagen was respon­sible for the imple­men­ta­tion. Despite chal­len­ging condi­tions, the project was completed within a tight sche­dule. Since its reope­ning in April 2026, the swim­ming pool has once again been fully available to schools, clubs, and the public.

The reno­va­tion of the Hörde indoor swim­ming pool is much more than just the refur­bish­ment of a swim­ming pool. It demons­trates that preser­ving exis­ting swim­ming faci­li­ties is possible even under diffi­cult economic condi­tions, provided that muni­ci­pa­li­ties, clubs, and specia­lized plan­ning part­ners work toge­ther to share respon­si­bi­lity.

Many older indoor swim­ming pools, in parti­cular, face similar chal­lenges today. The project in Dort­mund demons­trates that inno­va­tive reno­va­tion concepts can be a cost-effec­tive alter­na­tive to new cons­truc­tion, thereby opening up new possi­bi­li­ties for preser­ving the swim­ming pool land­scape.

To be continued
In the second part of our project report, we take a look behind the scenes of the reno­va­tion. How was the exis­ting pool preserved? What struc­tural chal­lenges had to be over­come? And why did pool tech­no­logy play a crucial role in the process? The tech­nical history of this extra­or­di­nary project provides the answers.

When people talk about swim­ming pools, the conver­sa­tion usually revolves around pool sizes, water treat­ment, energy solu­tions, or opera­ting costs. Some­times it’s about archi­tec­ture. But it’s almost never about what happens between people.

That is precisely where Iceland’s contri­bu­tion to the 20th Venice Archi­tec­ture Bien­nale comes in.

Under the title SOAK – Rituals of Coll­ec­tive Belon­ging, the pavi­lion does not focus on spec­ta­cular archi­tec­tural forms or visio­nary struc­tures. Instead, it centers on an ever­yday ques­tion: Why are public swim­ming pools among the few places where people still encounter one another as a matter of course?

The answer is surpri­sing because it’s so simple.

In the water, back­ground, occu­pa­tion, income, or social status suddenly matter very little. Swim trunks and swim­suits replace uniforms and suits. Children splash around next to reti­rees, compe­ti­tive athletes sit next to tourists in the hot tub, and neigh­bors strike up conver­sa­tions even though they’ve known each other for years only from passing by in their cars. Swim­ming pools foster encoun­ters without forcing them.

That is precisely why the Icelandic Pavi­lion views the bath­house not as a recrea­tional faci­lity, but as social infra­struc­ture.

Not every archi­tec­tural state­ment requires a spec­ta­cular buil­ding. Some­times a pool of warm water is enough.

With SOAK – Rituals of Coll­ec­tive Belon­ging, Iceland is presen­ting a contri­bu­tion to the 20th Inter­na­tional Archi­tec­ture Exhi­bi­tion of the Venice Bien­nale that focuses less on archi­tec­ture as an object and more on its social impact. The focus is on Icelandic bathing culture—and thus on an infra­struc­ture that has been brin­ging people toge­ther for gene­ra­tions.

SOAK asks: How can we create spaces where people can recon­nect with one another?

This ques­tion seems more rele­vant than ever. Digi­ta­liza­tion, remote work, and social pola­riza­tion are chan­ging the way people live toge­ther. In many places, public spaces are losing their tradi­tional role as places of encounter. The Icelandic Pavi­lion ther­e­fore conceives of the geother­mally heated indoor swim­ming pool as a counter-model—as a demo­cratic space where social diffe­rences fade into the back­ground for a moment.

Curator Marcos Zotes deve­loped the exhi­bi­tion in colla­bo­ra­tion with his part­ners at Basalt Archi­tects, the design studio Gagarin, and illus­trator and author Rán Flygen­ring. Toge­ther, they explore not the archi­tec­ture of indi­vi­dual swim­ming pools, but the rituals that take place there every day.

Anyone who has ever visited an Icelandic thermal bath knows this special atmo­sphere. Fami­lies, teen­agers, reti­rees, tourists, and working profes­sio­nals share the same pools, strike up conver­sa­tions with one another, or simply enjoy the shared tran­qui­lity. Swim­wear takes the place of status symbols. Age, occu­pa­tion, and social status lose their signi­fi­cance.

SOAK ther­e­fore describes these places as social infrastructure—just as important to the func­tio­ning of a society as roads or public trans­por­ta­tion. Water becomes a medium for inter­ac­tion, and archi­tec­ture a frame­work for commu­nity.

This shift in perspec­tive is likely to be of parti­cular inte­rest to plan­ners of sports and recrea­tional faci­li­ties.

Swim­ming pools, sports arenas, and sports parks are often described in terms of key metrics: water surface area, visitor numbers, energy consump­tion, or suita­bi­lity for compe­ti­tions. SOAK reminds us that these buil­dings are always part of the social infra­struc­ture as well. They create places where people come toge­ther regard­less of their back­ground, age, or income.

In this way, the Icelandic Pavi­lion directly ties in with the Biennale’s theme, “Do Archi­tec­ture – The Possi­bi­lity of Coexis­tence in the Face of Real Reality.” Archi­tec­ture is unders­tood here not as a spec­ta­cular object, but as a tool for better coexis­tence.

With the expan­sion of the Groß­feld­sied­lung multi-purpose pool, the City of Vienna is imple­men­ting a key compo­nent of its 2030 Swim­ming Pool Stra­tegy. The goal of the program is to expand the swim­ming infra­struc­ture of a growing metro­polis, create more capa­city for school and club sports, and at the same time moder­nize exis­ting faci­li­ties in a sustainable manner. The new indoor trai­ning pool in Vienna’s 21st district serves as a prime example of how func­tional requi­re­ments, archi­tec­tural quality, and resource-effi­cient cons­truc­tion can be combined.

Instead of cons­truc­ting a stan­da­lone buil­ding, the Vienna-based firm illiz archi­tektur desi­gned a compact, three-story exten­sion that is being built on an exis­ting paved parking lot and is connected to the exis­ting buil­ding via two canti­le­vered bridges. These bridges serve a purpose far beyond mere access: they link the old and new buil­dings into a cohe­sive ensemble, sepa­rate visitor flows, and provide a barrier-free connec­tion between the new foyer and the exis­ting ticket office area.

A land­scaped alleyway is being created between the two buil­ding struc­tures, conso­li­da­ting the paths to the indoor and outdoor pools and intui­tively guiding visi­tors to the new main entrance. At the same time, the bridges create intri­guing visual connec­tions between the diffe­rent levels and turn the walk through the buil­ding into a spatial expe­ri­ence.

Glass facade

A spacious glass facade makes a striking first impres­sion. Behind it lies a light-filled, three-story foyer, whose sculp­tural stair­case imme­dia­tely draws the eye to the pool level on the upper floor. From here, visi­tors can explore the entire faci­lity with its various func­tional areas.

Lobbies, waiting areas, bridges, and swim­ming pools are visually inter­con­nected, provi­ding clear wayfin­ding.

Basin

The center­piece of the new buil­ding is a 25 x 12.5‑meter trai­ning pool, which is prima­rily intended for school and club sports. With this addi­tional pool space, Vienna is respon­ding to the growing demand for swim­ming instruc­tion and trai­ning oppor­tu­ni­ties.

Outside of reserved times, the pool is also open to the public, thereby signi­fi­cantly expan­ding the offe­rings of the exis­ting multi-purpose pool. The new indoor trai­ning pool has been in regular opera­tion since the fall of 2024.

In parallel with the new cons­truc­tion, the exis­ting indoor swim­ming pool was also exten­si­vely moder­nized. A new, higher roof signi­fi­cantly enhances the sense of space in the multi­pur­pose pool. Glare-free natural light reaches the water’s surface through trans­lu­cent skylights on the sides. At the same time, the entrance area, locker rooms, and rest­rooms were moder­nized, enhan­cing both the func­tion­a­lity and design of the entire faci­lity.

The new buil­ding also ties in with the exis­ting struc­ture in terms of design. A widely canti­le­vered wooden roof panel and surroun­ding skylight bands incor­po­rate charac­te­ristic elements of the exis­ting bath­house and reinter­pret them in a contem­po­rary way. Parti­cu­larly striking is the green steel struc­ture in front of the buil­ding, whose clim­bing plants envelop the struc­ture and trans­form the tech­nical buil­ding into a vibrant facade land­scape.

The compre­hen­sive sustaina­bi­lity concept is also reflected in the buil­ding’s tech­nical systems. A photo­vol­taic system on the green roof, energy-effi­cient buil­ding services, and the resource-effi­cient wood cons­truc­tion all help reduce the buil­ding’s envi­ron­mental foot­print.

For this holi­stic approach, the trai­ning swim­ming pool received the klima­aktiv Gold Award, was honored with the wienwood25 – Vienna Timber Cons­truc­tion Award, was nomi­nated for the 2026 Austrian State Prize for Timber Cons­truc­tion, and made it onto the Top 40 short­list for the 2026 EUmies Awards

With a usable area of appro­xi­m­ately 2,110 m² and a gross floor area of 2,550 m², this exem­plary project—demonstrating the careful expan­sion of exis­ting sports and recrea­tional facilities—was completed in just under two years. The Groß­feld­sied­lung indoor trai­ning pool demons­trates how addi­tional water areas can be created without sealing new land or displa­cing exis­ting faci­li­ties.

Instead, the result was a harmo­nious ensemble in which the old and the new are func­tion­ally, spati­ally, and archi­tec­tu­rally integrated—in keeping with the prin­ci­ples of sustainable and future-oriented pool deve­lo­p­ment.

With the Annette K swim­ming ship, Paris didn’t simply place a swim­ming pool on the water. At the Port de Javel Bas, a 110-meter-long floa­ting sports, health, and recrea­tion faci­lity was created, combi­ning a 50-meter pool with fitness, physical therapy, well­ness, and dining. The Seine is not merely an attrac­tive back­drop here. Its move­ment, its light, and its unique posi­tion within the urban land­scape define the archi­tec­ture of the entire struc­ture.

Annette K is located in the 15th arron­dis­se­ment on the southwes­tern edge of central Paris, a few kilo­me­ters down­stream from the Eiffel Tower. The project emerged from the “Réin­venter la Seine” compe­ti­tion, the winner of which was selected in 2017. It was desi­gned by the Paris-based firm Seine Design—which specia­lizes in floa­ting architecture—under the direc­tion of Gérard Ronz­atti and Matthieu Ronz­atti. Cons­truc­tion began in 2020, and the faci­lity was completed in 2023. The client and operator is Javel Enter­tain­ment.

Span­ning an area of appro­xi­m­ately 4,500 square meters, the Bade­schiff offers an unusually wide range of amen­i­ties: a 50-meter-long outdoor pool, sun decks, fitness and sports faci­li­ties, physical therapy, balneo­the­rapy, a sauna, locker rooms, a café, a restau­rant, and spacious terraces. The faci­lity is thus desi­gned not only to serve as a place for exer­cise, but also to combine physical acti­vity, reco­very, health, and socia­li­zing throug­hout the day. The reported cons­truc­tion costs amount to 16 million euros.

The key archi­tec­tural concept lies in the posi­tion of the swim­ming pool. It was not built into the hull of the ship, but rather placed, as it were, on top of the buil­ding.

From the outside, the elon­gated stain­less-steel tub looks like the inverted hull of a second ship resting on the actual pontoon. Steel, wood, and glass rein­force this mari­time character.

The pool is much more than just a container for water. Its subs­truc­ture serves as both the load-bearing frame­work and the tech­nical infra­struc­ture for the floors below. Columns, pipes, cables, and other utili­ties remain largely visible; this made it possible to avoid suspended ceilings and addi­tional raised floors.

The tech­nical systems of a swim­ming pool, which are other­wise often hidden, become a defi­ning feature of the inte­rior spaces.

Two light­weight, arched canopies shelter the ends of the pool and parts of the adja­cent terraces. Between them, the view opens up to the sky, the water, and the shore­line land­scape. A walking path runs around the upper deck, encir­cling the buil­ding like a narrow ribbon and offe­ring views in all direc­tions. The sports faci­li­ties thus extend all the way to the outer edge of the ship.

Water remains a presence even on the lower levels. Port­holes and glass openings allow daylight to stream through the swim­ming pool into the rooms below. The move­ments of the swim­mers, reflec­tions on the water’s surface, and the shif­ting light of the Seine all blend toge­ther. Shim­me­ring images emerge on the inte­rior surfaces, which the firm itself asso­ciates with the Impres­sio­nists’ studies of water.

The goal of inte­gra­ting sports, health, and ever­yday life is also reflected in the facility’s layout. The swim­ming pool is visible from nume­rous areas of the buil­ding and acces­sible via various routes. During the plan­ning phase, Seine Design colla­bo­rated with experts in adap­tive and inclu­sive sports. Access points, move­ment areas, and the use of the pool were desi­gned not only to be formally acces­sible but also to be truly prac­tical for people with a variety of physical abili­ties.

This open­ness also extends to the mix of uses. In the same buil­ding, compe­ti­tive swim­mers mingle with fitness enthu­si­asts, physical therapy pati­ents, restau­rant patrons, and people who simply want to spend time by the water. Annette K is ther­e­fore neither a swim­ming pool faci­lity nor a tradi­tional health center, nor is it an ordi­nary recrea­tional dining venue. It is precisely the overlap of these offe­rings that gives it its urban character.

Floa­ting swim­ming pools have a long history in Paris. Bathing faci­li­ties have existed on the Seine since the 17th century. The most famous of these was the Piscine Deligny, a 50-meter pool with chan­ging rooms, sun decks, dining options, and a vibrant social scene. The pool, which was last anchored near the Place de la Concorde, sank within a few minutes in 1993 and was not rebuilt. In 2006, the José­phine Baker, another floa­ting pool, carried on this tradi­tion.

Annette K draws from Deligny not so much the histo­rical archi­tec­ture as the idea of the pool as a social space. Swim­ming is at the heart of it, but it’s not the only reason for its exis­tence. People work out, sunbathe, eat, meet others, or take in views of the city from the water. The name also pays homage to the Austra­lian swimmer, actress, and health advo­cate Annette Kellerman, who cham­pioned freedom of move­ment in sports and more prac­tical swim­wear for women in the early 20th century.

There are projects that impress prima­rily because of their archi­tec­ture. And there are projects whose true strength lies in the stories they tell. The Forest Pool in Liberec, Czech Repu­blic, clearly belongs to the second cate­gory. This was not simply the cons­truc­tion of a new func­tional buil­ding for an outdoor pool—rather, through a combi­na­tion of civic enga­ge­ment, intel­li­gent wood archi­tec­ture, and public support, a place that had defined the community’s iden­tity for decades was trans­formed once again into a vibrant gathe­ring place.

At the confluence of two streams, on the edge of the Lidové sady resi­den­tial neigh­bor­hood in Liberec, lies the “Lesní koupaliště”—the Forest Pool. Nestled among centu­ries-old spruce trees, this natural swim­ming area has been part of the city’s coll­ec­tive memory for gene­ra­tions. The water is considered excep­tio­nally cold, and the loca­tion is unique.

Its history dates back to the 1930s. During World War II, the bath­house was parti­ally used for mili­tary purposes, but at the same time remained a popular local recrea­tion spot. After several expan­sions, the faci­lity fell into incre­asing disre­pair. It was closed in 2007, and in 2010, a fire destroyed the former opera­tions buil­ding. Only the concrete foun­da­tions remained. It wasn’t until 2016 that a gradual revi­ta­liza­tion of the site began, before the natural swim­ming area could reopen to visi­tors in 2018.

The decisive impetus came in 2020 from the commu­nity project Lesní koupa­liště, founded by Mjölk archi­tekti. Rather than waiting for large-scale funding programs, the archi­tects, toge­ther with nume­rous volun­teers, took over the opera­tion of the faci­lity them­selves.

Due to a lack of finan­cial resources, the project initi­ally involved crea­ting makes­hift furni­ture, setting up basic cate­ring faci­li­ties, and carrying out initial impro­ve­ments with the members’ own labor. At the same time, plans were deve­loped, grants were applied for, and private dona­tions were coll­ected. A signi­fi­cant portion of the funding ulti­m­ately came from the parti­ci­pa­tory budget of the city of Liberec. After the buil­ding permit was granted in 2022, cons­truc­tion of the new buil­ding began. When the budget became tight again, a one-time finan­cial contri­bu­tion from the city ulti­m­ately helped complete the project in time for its opening in 2025.

The new buil­ding is deli­bera­tely not intended to be an archi­tec­tural state­ment, but rather the func­tional back­bone of the entire natural swim­ming area.

On a site measu­ring just 320 m², a light­weight wooden struc­ture was built, with a geometry that follows the exis­ting concrete foun­da­tions. The archi­tects combined CLT solid wood panels with a light­weight wood-frame struc­ture. Inte­grated into this struc­ture are storage areas, rest­rooms, a bistro, a sauna, and common rooms.

A parti­cu­larly striking feature is the widely over­han­ging roof supported by a deli­cate steel struc­ture. It shields visi­tors from both sun and rain and creates a spacious, semi-public outdoor area. Showers, chan­ging rooms, and lockers are located enti­rely under this roof, keeping them closely connected to the surroun­ding land­scape.

The design deli­bera­tely avoids styli­stic flou­rishes. The white-painted facades, with their rhythmic round arches, draw on classic motifs of public outdoor swim­ming pools, yet appear time­less and natural.

From a distance, the buil­ding is almost comple­tely hidden behind the tall coni­fers. Only as you get closer does the quality of the open archi­tec­ture become appa­rent: the spacious canopies, the trans­pa­rent tran­si­tions between indoor and outdoor areas, and the direct connec­tion to the water create an atmo­sphere more remi­nis­cent of a shel­tered forest pavi­lion than a tradi­tional outdoor pool.

With the new infra­struc­ture, the Forest Pool will see a signi­fi­cant boost in func­tion­a­lity. In addi­tion to chan­ging rooms, rest­rooms, and dining faci­li­ties, the inte­grated sauna, in parti­cular, will ensure that the faci­lity can be used well beyond the summer months in the future.

Further deve­lo­p­ment steps are already planned: children’s play areas with water, terraced seating steps, and addi­tional sports and recrea­tional offe­rings are intended to comple­ment the faci­lity in the long term. The project is expli­citly not intended to be a completed cons­truc­tion project, but rather an ongoing deve­lo­p­ment process—for and with the people who use Forest Pool.

Once there, all in:

The new Huchen­feld district pool impresses with its clear design language, trans­pa­rency, sustaina­bi­lity and family friend­li­ness – and not just in Pforz­heim.

Pforz­heim, a large city with around 135,000 inha­bi­tants on the nort­hern edge of the Black Forest, is an important economic, educa­tional and resi­den­tial center in Baden-Würt­tem­berg. The city atta­ches great importance to a modern infra­struc­ture, and this includes the deve­lo­p­ment and impro­ve­ment of the city’s swim­ming faci­li­ties. The Huchen­feld district pool is the latest example of this atti­tude.

The previous pool at the same loca­tion was closed at the end of 2018 due to its outdated condi­tion. Thanks to a grant of 4 million euros from the federal program “Reno­va­tion of muni­cipal faci­li­ties in the areas of sport, youth and culture (SKJ)”, the new cons­truc­tion project could be tackled.

The archi­tec­ture of the baths is charac­te­rized by bright­ness, friend­li­ness and trans­pa­rency. The nort­hern func­tional area is kept rather closed, while the bathing halls are trans­pa­rent on all sides. Even the foyer offers views into the large bathing hall. A conti­nuous skylight in the north provides optimal lighting for the two bathing halls: the large one with a 25-metre pool and the smaller one for the smaller pools.

The archi­tect and general planner were bauate­lier, inde­pen­dent archi­tects Haas and Hiesch from Stutt­gart.

Soli­taire

The new buil­ding blends into the exis­ting school grounds as a soli­tary struc­ture. New pathways to the north and south connect to exis­ting access struc­tures in the school grounds and lead to the new main entrance in the west, which is clearly visible from afar. A sepa­rate staff entrance provides access to the buil­ding from the new parking spaces to the east of the buil­ding.

A spacious fore­court in front of the pool and sports hall marks the entrance area. Large exis­ting trees were largely preserved, with new plan­tings in the southern area.

Large hall

The spatial program essen­ti­ally comprises an indoor pool with a 25-meter pool and a child­ren’s pool.

The large indoor pool has a 25m x 12.50m vario pool suitable for compe­ti­tions with five swim­ming lanes, starting blocks, LED under­water flood­lights, massage jets and sports equip­ment.

The pool is certi­fied as a cate­gory D compe­ti­tion faci­lity by the DSV (German Swim­ming Asso­cia­tion) and is desi­gned for both school and club sports.

Sustaina­bi­lity plays a central role in the new Huchen­feld district pool. The plan­ners at bauate­lier achieved the goal of an energy-opti­mized buil­ding in all respects through a combi­na­tion of struc­tural, resource-conser­ving designs and tech­nical measures. These include the increased use of wood, recy­cled concrete, thick insu­la­tion layers and triple thermal insu­la­tion glazing.

The bath­room relies on effi­cient heat reco­very systems, tempe­ra­ture control using geothermal energy and earth ducts as well as a photo­vol­taic system and exten­sive green roofs.

Another important feature is the acces­si­bi­lity throug­hout, which is guaran­teed from the outside to the bath­room and pool.

The trans­pa­rency of the indoor pool areas and the foyer creates a connec­tion to the surroun­dings and allows plenty of daylight into the inte­rior, which gene­rally promotes the well-being of the bathers.

The Huchen­feld district pool is a modern and versa­tile school and club swim­ming pool that combines compe­ti­tion, recrea­tion and swim­ming fun for the whole family.

With a total gross floor area of 2,674 m²n, a total water surface area of 356 m²n and around 50,000 expected bathers per year, a new place for recrea­tion and encoun­ters, compe­ti­tion and fun has been created here.

A very successful example of how modern archi­tec­ture, sustainable cons­truc­tion and social func­tion can make a valuable contri­bu­tion to the quality of life in a city.

An outdoor pool with history – and a future: in the Biberach outdoor pool, the clear design language of the 1960s meets a consis­t­ently sustainable concept. Wooden archi­tec­ture, short distances and an almost self-suffi­cient energy supply make the new combined pool a show­case project for modern pool cons­truc­tion.

The outdoor pool has been an inte­gral part of urban life in Biberach an der Riß for more than 70 years. The new repla­ce­ment buil­ding, which opened in summer 2025, picks up on the charac­te­ristic elements of the faci­lity from the 1960s and trans­lates them into modern, resource-conser­ving archi­tec­ture. At the same time, the outdoor pool was moved closer to the exis­ting indoor pool in terms of space and func­tion – with the aim (and result) of crea­ting an effi­cient combined pool that can be used all year round.

The design is charac­te­rized by a clear, linear struc­ture: a colon­nade acts as a central access axis to which all func­tions are connected. This order ensures short distances, intui­tive orien­ta­tion and effi­cient use of space. Even the newly desi­gned entrance area makes a strong state­ment: A green fore­court with seating, bicycle parking and careful plan­ting improves the micro­cli­mate and signi­fi­cantly enhances the quality of stay.

The design was created by asp Archi­tekten.

Pavi­lion

The archi­tec­tural center­piece of the faci­lity is an elon­gated wooden pavi­lion that combines all central func­tions under one roof. The buil­ding makes consis­tent use of regional mate­rials: larch charac­te­rizes the façades and parti­tion walls, while Douglas fir was used for the load-bearing struc­ture.

The ensemble is comple­mented by acti­vity and recrea­tion zones along the main axis. Shaded seating areas with a view of the pools and the spacious sunbathing lawns offer space for gastro­nomy, rela­xa­tion and exer­cise – embedded in a mature tree popu­la­tion that harmo­niously inte­grates the faci­lity into the land­scape.

Basin

The Biberach outdoor pool also combines tradi­tion and moder­nity in the bathing area: the new, compact, rectan­gular pool layout refers to the histo­rical design. The 887 m² leisure pool and the 363 m² swim­mers’ pool with five 25-meter lanes offer ideal condi­tions for diffe­rent user groups.

A striking eye-catcher is the 70-metre-long, bright orange racer slide with three lanes and digital timing, comple­mented by other attrac­tions such as a wave slide and a water whirl­pool. There is also a sepa­rate toddler area for fami­lies.

A parti­cular focus was placed on sustaina­bi­lity and resource conser­va­tion. The almost self-suffi­cient energy supply of the Biberach outdoor pool is based on a ground-mounted photo­vol­taic system with an output of around 160 kWp, which covers a large part of the elec­tri­city requi­re­ments in summer and supports the indoor pool in winter.

Solar absor­bers on the roof surfaces heat the pool water, while treated well water supple­ments the opera­tion. An effec­tive climate adapt­a­tion measure was also imple­mented with the inte­gra­tion of a reten­tion basin.

The offer is rounded off by a wide range of leisure and service faci­li­ties: spacious sunbathing lawns, play and sports areas, cate­ring faci­li­ties and a heated recrea­tion area in the wooden buil­ding signi­fi­cantly increase comfort.

The Biberach outdoor pool shows how a sustainable sports and leisure archi­tec­ture can be created from a place with history – clearly struc­tured, sustain­ably desi­gned and consis­t­ently geared towards the needs of users. A thoughtfully desi­gned place for exer­cise, encoun­ters and recrea­tion.

Leip­zig’s new high­light for swim­ming and archi­tec­ture. Modular exposed concrete meets maximum sustaina­bi­lity. The new sports pool at Rabet brings a breath of fresh air to the east of the city.

Leipzig has had a wonderful new infra­struc­ture since late summer 2025: the sports pool at Rabet. The modular new buil­ding, desi­gned by Gerkan, Marg and Part­ners (gmp), was built to passive house stan­dards. It provides urgently needed water areas for schools, clubs and popular sports and inte­grates perfectly into the city­scape.

The baths are located on the centrally located Otto-Runki-Platz and connect the urban traffic area with the adja­cent and epony­mous Rabet district park. The cubic struc­ture with its recesses closes off the exis­ting peri­meter block to the north and conti­nues the urban struc­ture.

A green fore­court opens up to the south-east, inte­gra­ting parts of the exis­ting trees and merging into the park. This creates a new focal point in the neigh­bor­hood.

The cons­truc­tion of the sports pool is based on a modular design. Exposed concrete elements with inte­grated insu­la­tion were prefa­bri­cated in the factory and assem­bled on site.

This effi­cient method helped to mini­mize noise and emis­sions during the cons­truc­tion phase and made the struc­tured buil­ding possible.

The façade combines light-colored exposed concrete with a glass base. The all-round glazing lets daylight into the inte­rior, allows views in and out and connects the buil­ding with the urban context.

Sustaina­bi­lity was a key aspect of the plan­ning. The Rabet sports pool was built to passive house stan­dards and has an exten­si­vely greened reten­tion roof with an insect meadow. This compen­sates for lost green areas, promotes natural seepage and releases rain­water with a time delay.

Solar thermal and photo­vol­taic systems as well as a water treat­ment system for reusing the pool water are also inte­grated. Under­ground infil­tra­tion tren­ches store rain­water on site and support the city’s climate targets and water-sensi­tive urban deve­lo­p­ment.

The city and Leip­zig’s sports pools have realized this project with an invest­ment of around 20 million euros. The sports pool at Rabet comple­ments Leip­zig’s swim­ming infra­struc­ture and reli­eves the pres­sure on exis­ting pools. It creates important water areas for swim­ming trai­ning and a new social meeting place.

In addi­tion to the water areas, it offers 100 spec­tator seats for compe­ti­tions, faci­li­ties for the disabled inclu­ding a pool lift and chan­ging wheel­chairs, an athle­tics room and meeting rooms for clubs.

Versa­tile and successful.

gmp – Archi­tects von Gerkan Marg and Part­ners

Mein­hard von Gerkan, Stephan Schütz,Tobias Keyl, Dinah Borjans, David Ferreiro Centeno, Bojan Kocevski, Thilo Zehme, Zeng Yahan, Zhang Tianshuo, Miryam Aykurt, Eva Chan, Chris­tian Dorn­dorf, Regina Geier, Moritz Grab­mayr, Jessica Neumann, Martin Muc, Abdur­rahim Sariy­ildiz, Viktoria Schock, Michael Scholz, Philip Stillke, Zhang Tianshuo

The Parra­matta Aquatic Centre (PAC) marks a signi­fi­cant deve­lo­p­ment in the long rela­ti­onship between the indi­ge­nous city of Parra­matta and water. Nestled in the 20 hectare park­land of Mays Hill, the site repres­ents over 60,000 years of use by the Burra­mat­tagal, a Darug people. Even in the early colo­nial period, Mays Hill served as a vantage point for the emer­ging city. This histo­rical func­tion still shapes the strict speci­fi­ca­tions for the open­ness of the site today – and became the starting point for a design that is as sensi­tive as it is inno­va­tive.

The plan­ning chall­enge was to realize an exten­sive spatial program of over 15,000 m² without compro­mi­sing the land­scape domi­nance of the park. The answer is a concept that is as clear as it is poetic and is divided into three elements: “Ring”, “Carving” and “Buffer”. The striking, circular struc­ture (the ring) encloses the water areas and defines the iden­tity of the center without losing the permea­bi­lity of the land­scape. Inspired by river and harbor baths, it creates a minimal enclo­sure that simul­ta­neously protects and connects.

The second prin­ciple, “carving”, describes the cutting of the complex into the topo­graphy. Large parts of the buil­ding volume are recessed into the ground, redu­cing the archi­tec­tural presence and preser­ving visual connec­tions across the site. This is comple­mented by the “buffer” – a linear struc­ture along the adja­cent traffic axes, which acts as acou­stic and visual protec­tion and also accom­mo­dates the fitness and well­ness areas.

The plans were drawn up by Andrew Burges Archi­tects, Grimshaw Archi­tects and McGregor Coxall.

At the heart of the faci­lity is the 50-metre outdoor pool with ten lanes and a width of around 25.5 meters. With a depth of 1.2 to 2 meters, it is suitable for both compe­ti­tive and recrea­tional sports and forms the central attrac­tion of the faci­lity. It is comple­mented by a 25-metre-long, eight-lane indoor pool that can be used all year round. A sepa­rate teaching pool with variable depths from 0.9 to 1.2 meters is available for swim­ming begin­ners.

The spacious water play area is parti­cu­larly family-friendly: an indoor splash park with a shallow, beach-like entrance (0 to 0.4 meters deep), slides and inter­ac­tive water elements creates safe and playful water expe­ri­ences for children. The offer is comple­mented by a sepa­rate rela­xa­tion pool as well as spa, sauna and steam baths.

All pools were realized with the modular Myrtha tech­no­logy. This is charac­te­rized by precisely prefa­bri­cated stain­less steel modules, which enable a long service life, optimum water quality and reduced main­ten­ance. At the same time, the light­weight design ensures an effi­cient cons­truc­tion and, in conjunc­tion with modern filter systems, contri­butes to signi­fi­cantly lower energy and water consump­tion.

The pools can be heated and meet both sporting and leisure requi­re­ments at the highest level.

The offer is comple­mented by a compre­hen­sive fitness and well­ness program: a modern, open-plan fitness studio with the latest equip­ment, several course rooms, communal areas and a café with indoor and outdoor seating create a versa­tile place for exer­cise, socia­li­zing and rela­xa­tion.

Spacious chan­ging areas and barrier-free access – such as ramps to the pools – ensure inclu­sive use for all visitor groups.

Sustaina­bi­lity is a central compo­nent of the concept. Photo­vol­taic systems on the roof supply a signi­fi­cant propor­tion of the energy required, while natural venti­la­tion systems and targeted daylighting reduce the tech­nical outlay. At the same time, the land­scape has been compre­hen­si­vely upgraded: thou­sands of new trees, shrubs and plants streng­then biodi­ver­sity, improve the micro­cli­mate and create shady recrea­tional areas.

The Parra­matta Aquatic Centre impres­si­vely combines archi­tec­tural clarity, tech­nical inno­va­tion and land­scape sensi­ti­vity. It is an open, invi­ting place for sport, leisure and commu­nity – and an exem­plary model of how large public infra­struc­tures can be harmo­niously inte­grated into estab­lished cultural land­scapes.

2025 IOC IAKS Archi­tec­ture Prize
Reco­gnized by the Inter­na­tional Olympic Committee and IAKS for excel­lence in sustaina­bi­lity, acces­si­bi­lity, and inno­va­tion in sports faci­li­ties.

2025 Inter­na­tional Archi­tec­ture Award (Land­scape Archi­tec­ture)
Awarded by The Chicago Athe­naeum for merging the faci­lity with the natural land­scape.

2024 Sulman Medal for Public Archi­tec­ture (NSW)
Top honour for public archi­tec­ture in NSW from the Austra­lian Insti­tute of Archi­tects.

2024 Walter Burley Griffin Award for Urban Design
Top National AIA award for urban design.

2024 National Award for Public Archi­tec­ture
Austra­lian Insti­tute of Archi­tects.

2024 World Archi­tec­ture Festival
Best Completed Buil­ding – Sport.