Swimming Pool Sušice
New pool as the center of the municipal sports facility
The location of the swimming stadium between the Otava River and the Volšovka Stream results from discussions on the most efficient integration of the pool into the city's structure. Several factors pointed to this specific location from the beginning, which played a significant role in the project's considerations. First and foremost, it is a place that serves as a sports and recreational facility for the city with a year-round offering of activities (ranging from an athletic track, tennis courts, and a ropes park to an ice rink). Building a pool in such a location is therefore a logical addition to the existing functional structure and simultaneously creates a previously absent center for it. Secondly, perhaps even more significantly, was the building of the ice rink originating from the 1970s. The final design of the pool, in relation to its extension, was influenced by the possibility of technologically connecting the two operations and significantly reducing the future energy demands of the pool by utilizing residual heat from the cooling of the ice surface.
The effort to make the best use of the potential of the natural character surrounding the Volšovka Stream lining the ice rink, to effectively connect the pool and the entire area with the left-bank development along Volšovská Street, and not least for capacity reasons, led to the consideration of designing the entire structure as a bridge firmly anchored on both banks of the stream. Together with the reclamation of the existing parking lot, this creates a natural nook bounded by the pool, ice rink, and Volšovka, where the main entrance to the complex is also located. A new footbridge running along the pool connects to the building at the junction with the ice rink, continues as a public passageway with entrances to both facilities and a café, and directs visitors straight to the tennis courts and further into the sports complex.
Expression and Function
The building of the swimming pool itself is comprised of a lapidary mass clad in aluminum, laid across the stream, perforated with terraces that feature colorful accents, complemented by a shiny black tube of the slide. The main volume of the building is two to three stories high with a shed roof. Along the northern side, the building is accessible via a new lattice footbridge leading to a single-story connector that provides a common entrance to both the pool and the ice rink. The main area at the entrance is made up of a linear passageway that connects axially to the footbridge and on the other side leads further into the sports complex and toward the Otava River.
The actual pool hall is located in the northeast corner of the building, opening out toward the sports facilities and the adjacent recreational terrace with large glazing. This solution allows for visual contact between the public and pool users, opening the pool hall to the exterior. In the season, visitors can also enjoy a spacious terrace on the roof of the single-story section with wellness facilities, accessible via stairs directly from the pool. The terrace is created by breaking through the main mass above the stream and is protected around the building by a diluted facade shell. This achieves the necessary intimacy of the space while not completely isolating it from the surrounding environment.
In the predominantly single-story section of the main mass above the stream, there is a wellness area offering visitors a steam room and sauna with its own cooling pool and an outdoor cooling area. The exterior relaxation space takes the form of a closed atrium within the layout, positioned directly above the course of the Volšovka, and an opening in the floor allows for immediate contact with the cold water of the stream. Going upward, the cooling area opens to the terrace space and is shielded from the view of others by a band of roof greenery. The indoor and outdoor relaxation spaces are connected by a large undivided window located directly above the cooling pool.
On the upper floor, the building offers visitors three sports halls, two of which are located in elevated spaces under the shed roof. Above the smallest third hall for fitness, which connects directly to the pool hall through a window, there is a technical mezzanine. In the passageway of the connector, besides a reception area, social facilities, and a shop, there is a café also oriented towards the outdoor terrace and directly into the pool, where a service window allows direct service to visitors swimming. In the basement under the right bank section, there is the pool technology and staff facilities, as well as the café.
Swimming and Other Sports
The pool certainly has its place in the eleven-thousand inhabitant town of Sušice, which is also a significant tourist destination, and will find its clientele. However, such a solution that offers variability of functions within the new structure is certainly desirable and can help the overall project’s profitability. From the beginning, there has been an effort to conceptualize the entire project differently than as merely a single-function water park. Besides the 25-meter long swimming pool that meets FINA's competitive parameters, the hall offers a leisure pool with attractions, a children's paddling pool with a slide, two whirlpools, and a seventy-meter slide. The existence of a strong tradition of water sports in Sušice led to the idea of offering the pool for the winter preparation of slalom racers. The hall is equipped with a hanging system for building tracks, and there is a space easily accessible in the basement for storing sports boats. A unique system at the European level that was implemented during construction is the technology for simulating white water. The system, designed and experimentally verified (in a 1:10 model), includes two nozzles that inject water diagonally into the pool at a speed of 960 m3/h, far exceeding typical commercial counter-currents for swimmers. It is capable of creating a real flow of white water, and in combination with a system of hanging gates, it practically creates a fully functional racing course. The overflow system of the pool is capable of handling the sharp waves created by the counter-current operation without needing to lower the operational level of the pool. Therefore, during operation, there is no need to turn off the filtration, and the slalom counter-current has become a sought-after attraction even for swimmers.
Future
The pool was opened to the public in June 2014. As part of its construction, the facilities for athletes at the ice rink were completely renovated where the extension of the original structure takes place. Renovations of the changing rooms and accommodation, which forms the northeast wall of the ice rink, were completed, and subsequently, a full restoration of its façade is planned in the next phase. The area also includes a landscaping solution for the bank between the Volšovka and the stadium, where a very pleasant quiet park can be created in connection with access to the pool.
The location of the swimming stadium between the Otava River and the Volšovka Stream results from discussions on the most efficient integration of the pool into the city's structure. Several factors pointed to this specific location from the beginning, which played a significant role in the project's considerations. First and foremost, it is a place that serves as a sports and recreational facility for the city with a year-round offering of activities (ranging from an athletic track, tennis courts, and a ropes park to an ice rink). Building a pool in such a location is therefore a logical addition to the existing functional structure and simultaneously creates a previously absent center for it. Secondly, perhaps even more significantly, was the building of the ice rink originating from the 1970s. The final design of the pool, in relation to its extension, was influenced by the possibility of technologically connecting the two operations and significantly reducing the future energy demands of the pool by utilizing residual heat from the cooling of the ice surface.
The effort to make the best use of the potential of the natural character surrounding the Volšovka Stream lining the ice rink, to effectively connect the pool and the entire area with the left-bank development along Volšovská Street, and not least for capacity reasons, led to the consideration of designing the entire structure as a bridge firmly anchored on both banks of the stream. Together with the reclamation of the existing parking lot, this creates a natural nook bounded by the pool, ice rink, and Volšovka, where the main entrance to the complex is also located. A new footbridge running along the pool connects to the building at the junction with the ice rink, continues as a public passageway with entrances to both facilities and a café, and directs visitors straight to the tennis courts and further into the sports complex.
Expression and Function
The building of the swimming pool itself is comprised of a lapidary mass clad in aluminum, laid across the stream, perforated with terraces that feature colorful accents, complemented by a shiny black tube of the slide. The main volume of the building is two to three stories high with a shed roof. Along the northern side, the building is accessible via a new lattice footbridge leading to a single-story connector that provides a common entrance to both the pool and the ice rink. The main area at the entrance is made up of a linear passageway that connects axially to the footbridge and on the other side leads further into the sports complex and toward the Otava River.
The actual pool hall is located in the northeast corner of the building, opening out toward the sports facilities and the adjacent recreational terrace with large glazing. This solution allows for visual contact between the public and pool users, opening the pool hall to the exterior. In the season, visitors can also enjoy a spacious terrace on the roof of the single-story section with wellness facilities, accessible via stairs directly from the pool. The terrace is created by breaking through the main mass above the stream and is protected around the building by a diluted facade shell. This achieves the necessary intimacy of the space while not completely isolating it from the surrounding environment.
In the predominantly single-story section of the main mass above the stream, there is a wellness area offering visitors a steam room and sauna with its own cooling pool and an outdoor cooling area. The exterior relaxation space takes the form of a closed atrium within the layout, positioned directly above the course of the Volšovka, and an opening in the floor allows for immediate contact with the cold water of the stream. Going upward, the cooling area opens to the terrace space and is shielded from the view of others by a band of roof greenery. The indoor and outdoor relaxation spaces are connected by a large undivided window located directly above the cooling pool.
On the upper floor, the building offers visitors three sports halls, two of which are located in elevated spaces under the shed roof. Above the smallest third hall for fitness, which connects directly to the pool hall through a window, there is a technical mezzanine. In the passageway of the connector, besides a reception area, social facilities, and a shop, there is a café also oriented towards the outdoor terrace and directly into the pool, where a service window allows direct service to visitors swimming. In the basement under the right bank section, there is the pool technology and staff facilities, as well as the café.
Swimming and Other Sports
The pool certainly has its place in the eleven-thousand inhabitant town of Sušice, which is also a significant tourist destination, and will find its clientele. However, such a solution that offers variability of functions within the new structure is certainly desirable and can help the overall project’s profitability. From the beginning, there has been an effort to conceptualize the entire project differently than as merely a single-function water park. Besides the 25-meter long swimming pool that meets FINA's competitive parameters, the hall offers a leisure pool with attractions, a children's paddling pool with a slide, two whirlpools, and a seventy-meter slide. The existence of a strong tradition of water sports in Sušice led to the idea of offering the pool for the winter preparation of slalom racers. The hall is equipped with a hanging system for building tracks, and there is a space easily accessible in the basement for storing sports boats. A unique system at the European level that was implemented during construction is the technology for simulating white water. The system, designed and experimentally verified (in a 1:10 model), includes two nozzles that inject water diagonally into the pool at a speed of 960 m3/h, far exceeding typical commercial counter-currents for swimmers. It is capable of creating a real flow of white water, and in combination with a system of hanging gates, it practically creates a fully functional racing course. The overflow system of the pool is capable of handling the sharp waves created by the counter-current operation without needing to lower the operational level of the pool. Therefore, during operation, there is no need to turn off the filtration, and the slalom counter-current has become a sought-after attraction even for swimmers.
Future
The pool was opened to the public in June 2014. As part of its construction, the facilities for athletes at the ice rink were completely renovated where the extension of the original structure takes place. Renovations of the changing rooms and accommodation, which forms the northeast wall of the ice rink, were completed, and subsequently, a full restoration of its façade is planned in the next phase. The area also includes a landscaping solution for the bank between the Volšovka and the stadium, where a very pleasant quiet park can be created in connection with access to the pool.
APRIS 3MP s.r.o.
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David Cígler
16.07.15 10:58
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