The Wunnebad Winnenden

When all’s well

 

Behnisch Architekten

While many cities and municipalities are closing their swimming pools due to high operating costs or seemingly insurmountable renovation backlogs, the town of Winnenden (population 30,000, located 20 km northeast of Stuttgart) is taking a different approach—with a design competition, experienced architects, and a clear commitment to future-ready construction.

Program

The design is shaped by the site’s unique surroun­dings and exis­ting struc­tures, rein­for­cing a respectful dialogue between old and new. The focal point of the new Wunnebad is the striking domed struc­ture of the original indoor pool, which now anchors a freely composed arran­ge­ment of flowing roofs and organic forms that house the various func­tional areas.
The key upgrades and addi­tions include:

  • A rede­si­gned, welco­ming entrance foyer
  • An addi­tional trai­ning pool with an adjus­table floor inte­grated into the exis­ting hall
  • A newly desi­gned child­ren’s area in the indoor pool
  • Refur­bished summer chan­ging rooms
  • New faci­li­ties for outdoor pool cate­ring
  • A rede­si­gned sauna land­scape with contem­po­rary offe­rings
  • A new dining area serving both the pool and sauna sections
  • New admi­nis­tra­tive offices
  • A new life­guard tower

The Heart of the Facility

Visi­tors now enter the Wunnebad through the newly rede­si­gned foyer, which offers views into the indoor pool, sight­lines to the outdoor pool, and direct access to the chan­ging rooms and sauna area.

From the main entrance, guests pass through reno­vated and expanded chan­ging and sani­tary faci­li­ties to reach the domed hall. This central element of the complex has been carefully restored, with updated surface treat­ments giving it a contem­po­rary look and feel.

The new trai­ning pool with an adjus­table floor expands the facility’s offe­rings, as does the newly deve­loped children’s area. The life­guard’s station is posi­tioned at the inter­sec­tion of the old and new buil­dings, provi­ding an ideal vantage point over all indoor and outdoor pools.

Sauna

A wide stair­case in the foyer leads guests up to the sauna level, which opens to the east onto an expanded and newly desi­gned sauna garden.

Starting just beyond the open-plan chan­ging area, the sauna zone offers a rich inter­play of open and more inti­mate spaces, featuring a variety of saunas, rela­xa­tion zones, and a cozy fire­place lounge.

The sauna expe­ri­ence is comple­mented by an outdoor sauna with an ante­room and shower faci­li­ties, seam­lessly inte­grated into the terraced land­scape of the garden. The design also allows for the future addi­tion of more sauna houses.

The sauna and indoor pool gastro­nomy form a func­tional unit located at the tran­si­tion between the sauna area and the garden, directly adja­cent to the gallery of the domed hall.

Tiles

The tiling work for the moder­niza­tion of the Wunnebad Winnenden was carried out by Hertler Fliesen. The company was respon­sible for the plan­ning and instal­la­tion of all ceramic surfaces in the wet areas, inclu­ding the swim­ming halls, pool surrounds, showers, and sani­tary faci­li­ties. Slip-resistant, frost-proof, and chemical-resistant tiles were used to meet the high stan­dards of hygiene, dura­bi­lity, and safety required in public pool cons­truc­tion.

Parti­cular atten­tion was paid to the proper appli­ca­tion of mate­rials in accordance with buil­ding codes—such as slope forma­tion, joint sealing, and tran­si­tions to adja­cent struc­tures. Through precise execu­tion and atten­tion to detail, Hertler Fliesen made a signi­fi­cant contri­bu­tion to both the func­tional and aesthetic quality of the faci­lity.

Conclusion

The Wunnebad impresses with its struc­ture and its calm, self-assured presence. Through subtle inter­ven­tions and a series of connec­ting roofs—sometimes canti­le­vered, offe­ring shelter from sun and rain—Behnisch Archi­tekten have created a plea­santly Medi­ter­ra­nean atmo­sphere. That’s the archi­tects’ perspec­tive.

The Wunnebad in Winnenden offers a wide range of expe­ri­ences: a large outdoor pool, a modern indoor pool, and a beau­tiful sauna and well­ness area. That’s the operator’s point of view.

When archi­tec­ture leads to results like this, all is well. At least in Winnenden.

Project data

Architect

Behnisch Archi­tekten

Florian Waller, Stefan Rappold, Arlette Haker, Elena Esterle, Frank Kimpel, Achim Buhse, Mahboubeh Shoeybi, Adrian Bauer, Lukas Litterst, Thorsten Zwir­lein (Wiesler Zwir­lein Archi­tekten)

Client

Stadt­werke Winnenden GmbH
Waib­linger Straße 42
D — 71361 Winnenden

Energy

Melior
Ener­gie­sys­teme GmbH
In den Brun­nen­wiesen 1
D — 71573 Allmers­bach im Tal

Tiles

Hertler Fliesen
Esslinger Straße 4
D — 73765 Neuhausen a.d.F.

Opening

2024

Address

Wunnebad
Albert­viller Str. 56
D — 71364 Winnenden

Photos

David Matthiessen Foto­grafie

Text

Johannes Bühl­be­cker
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