In the swim of things: new swimming pools
Scritto da Peter Smisek
05.06.18
Recently completed pool projects around the globe provide more than a just quick dip. Their bold designs make for an altogether more atmospheric and immersive swim experience.
Hawkins\Brown's new swimming pool at the City of London Freemen's School in Surrey, England, actively invites the surrounding woodland into its scheme via its ribbon fenestration. Photo: Jack Hobhouse
Hawkins\Brown's new swimming pool at the City of London Freemen's School in Surrey, England, actively invites the surrounding woodland into its scheme via its ribbon fenestration. Photo: Jack Hobhouse
×To many architects, public swimming pools represent a utopian ideal: a building type which dissolves the social hierarchies that exist in everyday life. But swimming pools can also offer moments of drama and theatre; for example Zaha Hadid’s Aquatics Centre for London’s 2012 Olympics encouraged architects to create more spectacular facilities than ever before.
Recent swimming pool architecture goes beyond just daring forms however. Norway’s Holmen Aquatics Center by ARKÍS consists of a folded, timber-clad volume and a green roof that slopes slowly to the ground, creating extra recreational space with a view of a nearby beach and fjord. The architects have applied the Passive House methodology to their design – which include 650 square metres of solar panels and 15 geothermal wells – resulting in a highly energy-efficient pool.
In Holmen Aquatics Center, ARKÍS combines sustainable principles with contemporary architecture, creating a distinct landmark that has a positive impact on the environment. Photos: Tove Lauluten
In Holmen Aquatics Center, ARKÍS combines sustainable principles with contemporary architecture, creating a distinct landmark that has a positive impact on the environment. Photos: Tove Lauluten
×More pared-down, Hawkins\Brown’s Freemen’s School Swimming Pool is a discreet facility for a prestigious school, located just beyond London’s leafy outskirts in the even leafier Surrey. Here, the architects have created a simple, low box, with wrap-around glazing that connects the swimmers with the wooded site. Inside, the architects have chosen to reveal the building’s glulam structure, creating a contemplative and calm environment.
The choice of materials -–glulam and cross laminated timber – meant that the frame of Hawkins\Brown’s Freemen’s School Swimming Pool was erected in a mere three weeks. Photos: Jack Hobhouse
The choice of materials -–glulam and cross laminated timber – meant that the frame of Hawkins\Brown’s Freemen’s School Swimming Pool was erected in a mere three weeks. Photos: Jack Hobhouse
×In Vancouver, a much larger facility – the University of British Columbia (UBC) Aquatic Centre by MacLennan Jaunkalns Miller Architects – accommodates professional as well as recreational swimmers, resulting in the need for a number of different pools. To bring light into the extensive interior, the architects designed a row of Y-shaped columns and a large skylight above which bisects the building. The interior is kept stark white, giving a pervasive air of cleanliness to the building.
The UBC Aquatic Centre’s bright interior and striking external form create an inspiring setting for swim competitions and lazy afternoons at the pool alike. Photos: Ema Peter
The UBC Aquatic Centre’s bright interior and striking external form create an inspiring setting for swim competitions and lazy afternoons at the pool alike. Photos: Ema Peter
×But swimming pools are not just located at schools or university campuses. Some, such as Kennedy Town Swimming Pool in Hong Kong, are right in the heart of the world’s megacities. Designed by international practice Farrells, the futuristic pool contains three indoor swimming pools, a jacuzzi as well as an outdoor Olympic-size pool and a leisure pool facing the seafront, allowing the public to take advantage of the city’s tropical climate.
Farrells-designed Kennedy Town Swimming Pool is built on formerly derelict land, reclaiming the site for the city’s inhabitants whilst opening up views across the water. Photos: Marcel Lam
Farrells-designed Kennedy Town Swimming Pool is built on formerly derelict land, reclaiming the site for the city’s inhabitants whilst opening up views across the water. Photos: Marcel Lam
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