Bathing in greenery

New swimming pool in Apeldoorn winks at the Hoge Veluwe

In April 2024, the Municipality of Apeldoorn gave the green light for the design and construction plans of a new swimming pool on Vlijtseweg in Apeldoorn-North. The pool will replace de Sprenkelaar, which has reached the end of its useful life after 50 years of faithful service. The new pool will offer space for a 50-meter divisible competition pool, a 25-meter target group pool, a 40-m2 paddling pool, a slide and a wellness area. In 2023, the municipality issued a tender for the design and construction of the new pool. A total of four parties submitted tenders, which were evaluated on design, architectural, urban and spatial quality and sustainability. The plan of the Wind Design & Build in collaboration with VenhoevenCS architecture+urbanism came out on top.

The twenty committed and skilled architects, structural engineers, engineers, project managers and project leaders of Wind Design + Build realize turnkey projects throughout the Netherlands. "We are responsible from the first sketch to operation, completely unburdening clients," says director Roelof Wind. "Our specialty is the Design & Build realization of schools, multifunctional centers, sports halls and swimming pools, of which swimming pool Apeldoorn-Noord is a very nice example."

Green and generous

In its call for tenders for the new swimming pool, the Municipality of Apeldoorn challenged parties to design an iconic building with the theme of "green and generous. "There were also firm ambitions regarding heat, energy and water use," Wind says. "To combine these themes at a high level, we asked VenhoevenCS to design the whole thing. This Amsterdam-based architectural firm has made an international name for itself with its swimming pool designs. For example, it was co-responsible for the design of the sustainable Olympic Aquatics Centre in Paris."

Wood prevails

"In close consultation with architects Manfred Wansink and Mateja Pipan and our construction team, the choice of wood construction was made very early on," Wind says. "In particular, the construction of the superstructure, the facades and the roof of the pool will be made entirely of wood. For example, because of its double circularity. Wood is a natural and renewable building material that can be reused perfectly well. Moreover, wood is biocircular. When the material decays at end-of-life, it is an excellent food source for new life." On top of this, wood is a very suitable product for pool environments, Pipan says. "The material thrives very well in the humid pool climate with high temperatures. Wood is also very efficient when it comes to workability and fire safety. But more importantly, wood is also incredibly beautiful, has a warm look and contributes to good acoustics." 

Large glass windows

Large glass sections in the façade will soon allow daylight to flow far inside, while large roof overhangs ensure that the glare of the sun in combination with the pool water does not cause any hindrance. "From all the swimming halls there is maximum contact with the outside, creating a pleasant environment in which swimmers can get their bearings." 

Additional stand

The 50-meter pool will be equipped with a retaining wall, allowing the pool to be used multifunctionally. For example, as a 25- and 23-meter pool, explain Thon Sanders and Gaatze Postma, project managers at Wind Design + Build. "The retaining wall can also be used to offer both baths in separate temperatures. In addition to the 50-meter pool, we also added a stand to the target group pool, so that parents have a good view of their children during swimming lessons as well as a comfortable place to work. And so we have created some other nice added values." As an example, he mentions the family slide that connects the compulsory swimming hall on the second floor with the ground level. "The family slide is literally in the shop window of the new pool complex as one approaches the site," Wansink emphasizes. "While a swimming hall on the second floor is good for swimmers' privacy, it also makes the building somewhat anonymous. Thanks to our slide, that anonymity is broken very nicely and usefully."

Social gains

Currently, the project is in the DO phase. Construction will begin in mid-2025, after which the first visitors will be able to go down the slide for the first time in 2027. "An important element during construction is the SROI component, which we have firmly grasped," says Wind. "For example, by executing the façade fillings on the first floor with broken concrete tiles, which come from tiling projects throughout Apeldoorn. The concrete tiles are processed by people with a distance to the labor market in combination with an apprentice work project. Because the facades are not in the critical line of our planning, we have a year to get this project right and maximize the social gains." Sanders: "Tile-sweeping also contributes to the greening of Apeldoorn, with less rainwater nuisance, a healthier living environment and cooler summers as rewarding results."

Green and blue roofs

The greenery will also continue on the roof, where herbal mixtures should encourage nature inclusiveness and biodiversity in the area, Wind says. "The upper roof will be designed as a blue roof and will collect rainwater. This roof will also house a large number of solar panels. The roof will also be designed as an energy roof, with a temperature-conducting piping system with water/glycol extracting solar heat from the roofing to pre-heat the tap water. This also brings sustainability and comfort together nicely."