Immersive swimming pool in the South of France

swimming pool in the South of France

Chateaulin Swimming Pool

Design: Agency Search Architects

Location: Châteaulin, France

The Châteaulin pool will be located on the edge of town, v length of a curve on the banks of the river Aulne. The project is part of a wider set of public projects, which together will form a sports and entertainment center on the scale of the provincial town and the wider region.

Immersive swimming pool in the South of France

The location remained rural. On a gentle slope towards the river, the adjacent historic towpath traverses countryside alternating between cultivated fields and woodland, punctuated by the occasional windmill.

The project combines educational activities, sports and recreation. It will be a gathering place, centered in a solid shape, established in its space and open to its surroundings. Architectural statement and general organizational principles
A perfect circle, within its simple geometry, the project incorporates a variety of functions.

The building is pierced by an invisible east/west axis that divides the building into two distinct halves. The northern half, where the three main entrances (public, school-children and technical) are located, is characterized by alternating opaque and transparent spaces, entrance halls, rest areas, bleachers, administrative offices and engine rooms.

In the southern half, the pools open onto the landscape. A clean story and large bay windows create a new perspective on the surrounding countryside. The radiating lines perpendicular to the outer circle make it easy to understand the converging paths from the separate toilets to the communal bathing areas.

While the bleachers, pools and solarium reinforce the building's general orientation towards the south, a vertical dynamic is added to the building's horizontal development. The section of the second level is visible from below and is connected to the ground floor via the water slide that surrounds the interior facade.

Integration and configuration of the space

Sustainability is a key objective, the project has a green roof, new plantings to the north and around the car park and full conservation of the existing landscape to the south. The project takes positive advantage of the natural deviation of the site, putting the parking out of sight from the main road. Built between a stone and the building, the parking lot is in the shade most of the day.

The grass surface integrates the parking lot with the surrounding field. As all parking is exclusively on the north side, the south side is free from technical interference. The solarium is elevated one meter above the meadow, forming a separation between the metal pools and the abundant plant life beyond.

Thus, the natural slope of the site comes into play again to render unnecessary vertical barriers such as walls and fencing. The green roof inscribes the building in the space. Imitative, the building almost disappears into the landscape, its curves playing with the surrounding hills.

Pool – Building Information
Program: Water sports center
Dates: Competition: early 2016
Studies: In progress
Delivery: 2018
Area: 3 600 sq.m. NFA
Cost: €8.9 million without TANK
Client: Communauté de Communes du Pays de Chateaulin et du Porzay
Team: Architects: Agence Search
Landscaper: Sempervirens
Engineer: Oteis Sechaud Bossuyt
Audio: Peutz et Associés
Surveyor: Bureau Michel Forgue