Diving into the future: Drachten's new swimming center

Drachten gets a new icon: Swimming Center De Welle. With an ambitious design and a sustainable approach, this swimming center will be a unique gem in the Northern Netherlands. What makes this project so special? Harm Jan de Vries, project manager at Bouwgroep Dijkstra Draisma, gives us a look behind the scenes.

Swimming center De Welle will be the largest in the Northern Netherlands, with a 550-meter pool that meets Olympic qualifications, a target group pool, a wave pool and plenty of space for recreation. The old pool in Drachten is outdated and could fail at any time, so the new building will come not a moment too soon.

One building, countless options

The Olympic pool at Zwemcentrum De Welle will have ten swimming lanes and a retaining wall, allowing the pool to be divided into three sections. The moveable floor makes the pool accessible for the disabled. The target group pool will have a similar floor, a low springboard and a climbing wall where people can climb to a height of 6 meters. Should they fall, they will end up in the water. The wave pool will be equipped with a whirlpool, rapids, toddler pool and paddling pool, a 35-meter-long family slide and a 100-meter-long tube slide.

In addition to swimming fun, De Welle offers wellness facilities such as a sauna, Turkish bath and infrared cabin. The changing room area is located centrally in the building and provides access to each pool. That way, all pools can be closed off separately, which is ideal for swimming competitions. Of course, there will also be a spacious catering facility, accessible from the recreation area and the large central hall. Upstairs, a grandstand is located that can accommodate 350 visitors to competitions. Employees have also been thought of. They can have their fun in the extensive administrative and technical areas.

Tensions and milestones

The construction of Swimming Center De Welle is certainly no piece of cake. De Vries says, "This is a complex project with a lot of attention to safety and specific construction techniques. The planning was also special. We had to change it when we were already working on it. Exciting, but necessary, because the result is that we are now no less than three months ahead of the original schedule. This makes for a lot of calm in the completion and adjustment work." 

A special moment was the installation of the wooden beams in the roof. These spanned the 50-meter-long Olympic pool in width and had to be placed with millimeter precision. "It was great to see how this construction fell perfectly into place," says De Vries. 

Sustainable floating

One of the most striking features of Swimming Center De Welle is its focus on sustainability and innovation. The building's facades will be clad in bamboo, a fast-growing and sustainable material. The building will be heavily insulated with high airtightness requirements. In addition, heat pipes and solar panels will be installed on the roof to maximize energy efficiency. The parking lot will also have solar panels, with storage for generated electricity. Next to the pool, an energy building will be constructed to house batteries, buffer vessels and further facilities for sustainability. 

Technical innovations are also evident in the pool facilities themselves. Movable bottoms provide flexibility and accessibility. The installation of a retaining wall in the Olympic pool allows for multifunctional use of the pool. So it is safe to say that De Welle has a bright and long future ahead of it. 

The swimming center of the future

De Vries is proud of what the team has already achieved so far: "It is a complex project, but together we manage it. Changing schedules and installing innovative installations is only possible if you communicate very well and have a top team around you." With the construction of Swimming Center De Welle, Bouwgroep Dijkstra Draisma is setting a new standard for sustainability and innovation in the construction industry. De Welle will open at the end of this year and promises to become not only an important sports center, but also a source of inspiration for future generations.