Winter bathing ship

At the moment the bathing ship in the East harbour of Berlin, one of Berlin's most attractive open-air pools, is being made ready for the winter. Packed into thick, caterpillar-like membranes, from the middle of November it will once more be available as a sauna with lounge and pool, at air and water temperatures of around 25°. The winter bathing ship is open from the late morning until midnight, and has a capacity of about 200 to 300 people a day.

At the moment Thomas Freiwald, one of the responsible architects, is still wrapped up warmly against the winter. He expects that it will take just over four weeks to get everything ready, a logistic achievement which is not to be underestimated in view of the 800 sqm involved.

As in a giant puzzle all the building sections are produced to size and then numbered, because in spring the whole process is repeated but in the opposite direction. Because it is not possible to operate a crane on the 3 pontoon-type type jetties, all sections are produced in such a way that they can be set up and then dismantled again using manpower only. The carpenters have already set up and reinforced the elliptical wooden trusses, and the insulated planking on the jetty is almost completely in place. In spite of the cold rain which is falling the workers are now stretching the pneumatic external skin around the trusses. This double membrane, which is partly opaque white and partly transparent, is then pumped up to form a cushion which provides heat insulation. Along the lounge jetty Thomas Freiwald shows off some of the sections which have already been closed in order to demonstrate that the ellipses are not just a necessary structural element. The fact that the ellipses jut out beyond the platform of the jetty means that inside them there is a striking close-up view of the gray-blue waters of the Spree – which even in winter ensures that the atmosphere is strongly influenced by the direct connection with the river.

The water has already been let into the hold of the old barge, which forms the pool with a depth of around 2 metres, a width of 7 metres and a length of 25 metres, where it glistens an inviting bright blue. And the inevitable building site radio is playing the appropriate lounge music for chilling out. So bring on the winter!