The heatwaves of summer 2022 have Bochum residents looking to cool off in the outdoor pool. The reopening of the outdoor pool complex from the 1930s in the Werne district with its 50-metre sports pool, adventure pool and paddling pool for small children came at just the right time: the facility was only put back into operation in 2021 after a modernization project lasting just nine months. 4a Architekten from Stuttgart shouldered this sporting achievement together with Pool out of the Box as the total contractor in modular construction. The advantage of the collaboration: cost and time savings as well as the avoidance of construction noise. 

For the redesign of the administration area, changing rooms, sanitary facilities as well as storage and technical areas, 20 modules made of steel and wood including insulation and interior fittings were prefabricated. After delivery, the modules were placed on the prepared floor slab by crane and assembled. The changing rooms and lockers face the outdoor pool area and are positioned freely under the cantilevered roof between the administration and sanitary unit. The room height corresponds to the height of 3.95 m for all areas, while the depth was individually adapted to the respective requirements. From the outside, the modules are clad with a rear-ventilated façade made of vertical, pre-greyed and rough-sawn spruce slats. For better lighting, every second wooden lamella in the upper third of the façade cladding was partially cut out. The roof consists of a stacked board ceiling that rests on the modules and cantilevers towards the outside area. A three-layer panel with insulation provides thermal insulation in summer and frost protection in winter.  

The replacement of the dilapidated concrete pools with stainless steel pools also contributed to the economic efficiency. In this context, the water surface area was reduced from 3,000 m² to around 1,580 m². Thanks to the installation of energy-saving technology with a solar absorber system, further costs can be saved. It was also decided to remove the existing wide wave slide. As the outdoor pool building is only used in summer, the heating technology is only designed for heating the staff rooms and for frost protection in winter. Natural ventilation of the rooms is provided by ventilation flaps in the skylight strips and in the parapet area of the manager's office and the staff rooms. 

www.4a-architekten.de
www.pooloutofthebox.de

Photos:

David Matthiessen
www.davidmatthiessen.com

(Published in CUBE Ruhr Area 03|22)