Public bathing pool

Our goal is to reestablish in the landscape of Elbląg a Kumiela’s river reservoir in its historical contour.  To create divers social spaces around natural swimming pools:

• Open the space for locals and visitors to the fullest extent possible, allow for water access;
• To integrate the fabric of the city with the Europark;
• A swimming pool as an ecosystem;
• Integration with natural and cultural landscape (terrain, park, character of the place, ecosystem).

Reestablishing a swimming pool in its current form does not have any economical sense. Keeping a minimal sanitary requirements for a swimming pool of that size is ineffective when put against its capacity. Currently, swimming pools bigger than 4000m2 are not being built, but the Elbląg’s pool – the biggest in Europe – was ten times this size. However the huge size of the pools pan can become its biggest advantage. It allows creating an innovative and balanced system of ecological natural pools. It main characteristics is that there is no need for disinfectants (chlorine), and the water is filtered using natural water reservoirs self-cleaning mechanisms, and microorganism, along with filters to support the process.

The division of the old pools pan for pools of different purposes (recreational pool, swimming pool, regeneration pool) will allow to recreated its historical contour in the landscape  and diversify the recreation offer for the future pool goers.

Two stories high footpath on the boarder of the swimming and recreational pool aggregates different functions. Publicly available upper level connects the pedestrian area along the Pond, and in the urban scale, by using the terrain, it is a convenient connection between the city and Europark (Hotel Młyn). The lower level serves the pools customers and constitutes a border of the closed area.

The architecture is recreational, summer and even resortlike in its styling. The new buildings take a form of low pavilions (1-3 stories high). The dominating finishing material is wood. The buildings are connected with the rest of pool infrastructure: fencing, bridges, platforms, coast. The use the natural terrain. The characteristic elements of the pool’s building are arcades, aggregating a series of functions.