Light is important

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.