In the 19th century the function of public baths changed: from a purely hygiene-oriented institution to a place for sports activities and physical culture.
The architectural roots of bathing culture reach back far into human history: The Romans built public bath complexes and equipped them not only with spaces for bathing, but also with swimming pools. These complexes often included public functions as well. They often included public functions. Compared to contemporary swimming facilities, these historic structures possessed amazing dimensions: The Baths of Diocletian for instance, completed in Rome in the year 306, covered 376 × 361 m. Even though the thermae of antiquity vanished in the course of the decline and fall of the Roman Empire, the topic of bathing remained important to the public, either in the form of swimming in natural bodies of water or as washing for hygienic or ritual purposes. The healing effects of mineral water springs were soon recognized: From the late 17th century onwards numerous spa locations emerged that featured dedicated structures for healing baths or drinking water therapies. In the course of the Industrial Revolution the aspect of physical hygiene became increasingly relevant. All citizens were supposed to experience the benefit of a daily bath. In 1842 the first public wash house for workers was built in Liverpool. Soon the function of these public bath houses changed from being purely a place of hygiene to becoming a space for sports activities and physical culture. Until 1933 altogether 240 municipal indoor swimming pools were built in German cities – the modern swimming pool as construction task was born.
Requirements and functions
The essential planning parameters for swimming pools remain valid to this day. The central element is the pool, 25 to 50 m long, at least 2 m deep and in part also used for competitive sports. Depending on the type of tournament or sport – for instance, water polo or synchronized swimming – different requirements exist regarding dividers, number of lanes or water depth. The main pool is often equipped with a diving board or platform, requiring a water depth of at least 3.40 m and sometimes a separate diving pool. Typically a large pool is complemented by a smaller non-swimmer pool with a maximum depth of 1.35 m. Occasionally swimmer and non-swimmer pools are combined into a multi-purpose pool. Here, water depth increases from one end of the pool to the other, with areas separated by a floating divider.
In principal, the functional pattern of a swimming pool is always the same: A central entrance area with a cash register directs visitors towards the locker rooms. From here, they reach the showers and the different areas of the facility. In many cases, auxiliary rooms are arranged in a linear building volume of low height connected to the tall swimming hall. The extensive utilities and filter units for cleaning the water are typically located below ground.
Aside from the central pool or pools, these facilities can include further small warm water pools, saltwater pools or brine basins, sauna, steam bath, slides, jetstream and many other attractions. Areas and spaces for reclining or sitting, resting, fitness, gymnastics, massages or solariums complement the set of available services, as well as restaurant and retail. Outdoor areas often feature room for reclining, pools or saunas.
The architectural typology is often elusive to precise definition, be it sports swimming pool, thermal bath or water park. Today, most of these types are conceptualized as multifunctional spaces and thus appeal to diverse user groups. In follow we present six very different built examples that represent the range of contemporary swimming pool architecture.
Single storey pavilion
The public bath in Stutensee near Karlsruhe, designed by 4a Architekten, replaces an outdated building. The main hall features a rectangular floor plan and a 25 m long pool. A non-swimmer pool with a slide and an additional pool for toddlers are flanked by a low building that comprises entrance area, café, locker rooms and auxiliary rooms. Large glazed surfaces allow ample daylight to enter the swimming hall and offer views of the adjacent lawn for sunbathing. The compact mode of construction reduces construction costs as well as the energy required for operation.
The timber roof construction is the defining architectural element and consists of glued laminated timber beams that span the entire width of the hall. The material provides the interiors with a warm atmosphere and is also suitable for the high degree of humidity typical to swimming pools. The roof elements, prefabricated in the workshop and featuring acoustic paneling, lighting and drainage, allowed for quick on-site assembly.
Multi-storey urban building block
The Paracelsusbad in Salzburg by Berger + Parkkinen is an inner city swimming pool that replaces an existing building from the 1950s. The 6-storey volume is connected to the neighbouring Congress House and a hotel. Due to the constrained site, the main functions are stacked on top of each other: The three storeys tall base features the spa facility and the locker rooms. Visitors can access the main level of the swimming pool by stepping up an open staircase. A 25 m long pool, kiddie pool, diving tower, climbing wall, tube slide and relaxing pool with massage jets and jetstream meet a diverse set of needs, from swimming exercise to relaxation and fun. This range of activities is complemented by four saunas and a steam bath on the topmost level, which also houses a restaurant and a roof terrace.
The exterior impression is defined by white ceramic slats. Along the pool level, they are interrupted by glazing. The ceramic slats continue into the interior in the form of an undulating ceiling: a spectacular spatial sculpture above the swimming pool, reaching all the way up to the roof, where a funnel-shaped skylight directs ample daylight into the interior spaces.
Bath landscape with courtyard
The design of the Sportbad Friedrichshafen also responds to the urban context. Its surroundings are defined by commercial uses on the urban fringe. Behnisch Architekten structured the new building into an introverted bath landscape with a laterally connected parking garage, situated between a shopping centre and an event location.
The green interior courtyard is the heart of the sports pool facility. This space for relaxation features a small exterior pool and a sunbathing terrace. Different bathing areas surround the courtyard: kiddie pools, non-swimmer pools, sports pools, a pool for swimming lessons including diving tower, as well as an aquafitness and water exercise pool that is separated by glazed walls and features an adjustable floor. Along the lateral side facing the parking garage all other functions are grouped together on two levels: foyer and locker rooms on the ground floor, restaurant and sauna area – both featuring separate roof terraces – on the upper floor, as well as administrative spaces.
On the exterior, the building is characterised by a predominantly transparent facade with a horizontal structure. The roof areas respond to the different required interior heights. Together with the terraces they constitute a lively roof landscape.
Cube-shaped multi-functional building
The design by the architecture office GNWA for the new swimming pool of the town of Romont in the west of Switzerland features a strictly orthogonal layout. Situated between a multi-function hall and a school building, the cube-shaped volume is oriented on the neighbouring buildings, with a facade comprised of fields of concrete and glass.
The main functions of the bath are situated on the ground floor: The four pools – main pool, diving pool, pool for swimming lessons and kiddie pool – are grouped around a central core that houses the locker rooms. Towards the street, the pools are shielded by the foyer, the cafeteria and seminar rooms. A fitness and wellness area with separate access is located on the upper floors, in addition to practice rooms and a concert hall for the decentrally organised Conservatory of Fribourg. The base is partially embedded in the sloping site and houses the pools as well as the extensive utilities.
The interiors were designed in a restrained manner. Sculptural V-shaped roof trusses are a strong presence above the two main pools. The timber of the trusses also introduces warm hues into the grey exposed concrete surfaces that dominate the interiors and are continued within the perforated processed wood panels along the ceilings in the lower parts of the building.
Singular building with cable roof
The Grandview Heights Aquatic Center in the western Canadian city of Surrey near Vancouver was conceptualized as a large glazed hall covered by a cable roof. The architects of HCMA also chose timber as construction material. Pairs of glued laminated timber trusses span 45 to 55 m and are supported by centrally positioned, V-shaped concrete columns. The diving tower features platforms at 1, 3, 5 and 10 m height. Not only the diving tower, but also the 50 m long pool meets the high requirements placed on pools used for national and international tournaments. For these occasions, a spectator stand is located on the upper floor.
However, the swimming hall is not exclusively designed for sports tournaments. The front area features a non-swimmer pool, a warm water pool, slide, sauna and steam bath, completing the range of services provided for leisure and fun. Entrance area, locker rooms and auxiliary rooms as well as a large fitness studio are situated within a two-storey longitudinal building volume along the northern side of the hall. Swimmers can experience the laterally inclined timber slat roof that dominates the airspace above all pools.
Chemical-free swimming
Borden Park Natural Swimming Pool in Edmonton in Canada's west, designed by gh3* is a unique swimming pool. Here, water is cleaned by natural methods and chemical treatment is avoided completely. Untreated water is sprayed onto the surface of a separate pond, partially covered with plants. Here, the water seeps down a 2.5 m deep layer of sand and gravel. The mechanical filtration process removes floating particles. At the same time the biofilm that covers the rocks binds algae and bacteria. Two ponds with vegetation serve to further purify the water. An additional phospate filter is located in the utility room where the water quality is monitored. The architects of gh3* named their project “recreational waters” and the authorities gave it a permit as a “constructed beach with variances”.
A longitudinal, single-storey building volume houses entrance, locker rooms and auxiliary rooms. It also serves as a visual shield for the outdoor pools behind it, a a combined pool for swimmers and non-swimmers as well as a smaller pool for children. The outdoor area with its sandy surfaces resembles a beach connecting seamlessly to the concrete apron of the pools. Boardwalks lead to the showers and into the entrance area. The sandy surfaces offer plenty of room for sunbathing and for a volleyball court. Inspired by the mechanical filtration process, the architects chose gabion walls for the exteriors.
Architectural diversity
The construction above the swimming pool, the arrangement of the individual functions and the selected building materials define the architecture of swimming pools in a significant way. Beyond that, the pools constitute specific structures that need to meet numerous requirements – ranging from construction to the extensive utilities for water treatment. The examples presented here show that this still allows for a broad range of design opportunities: from stacked urban building blocks to single storey flat roof structures, from single storey flat roof structures to stacked urban building blocks, from free form bath landscapes to orthogonal cubes, from small pavilions to giant halls.
