The new indoor pool in Ismaning has a lot to offer – from fun in the water, to relaxation and wellness. The varied possibilities for swimming and the sauna landscape are not the only things that make it so exciting. It has a very special ambience which comes from the free form of the swung glass façade with its interplay between transparent, translucent and opaque elements, including the capillary glass from OKALUX. The design of the bath has yielded an undulating structure – inside as well as outside.
courtesy prpm Architekten+Stadtplaner
The new indoor pool is located on park-like property in the centre of the community in direct proximity to the school building and the community centre. It was this special location that prompted prpm Architects + City Planners to develop a free building form: a variation of concave and convex shell areas allows the surrounding space to flow around the free-form meshing the building with the green area. In this way, the volume of the pool seems to dissolve when perceived from the outside.
The swung glass façade corresponds perfectively to its location in the park giving the pool the openness and lightness of a large pavilion. This effect is intensified in the interior through the column-free construction with wide span. In the generous swimming hall a 25 m basin with jumping bay, learner’s basin, adventure and small children areas as well as a 50 m long water slide offer diverse possibilities of enjoyment for swimmers. The sky lights in the roof ensure generous incidental daylight down to the depths of the rooms. The gallery on the first floor affords views of the swimming basins in the hall and access to the sun terrace. This is where the sauna landscape with its own outer area and a round roof opening with a view of the sky is located.
courtesy prpm Architekten+Stadtplaner
The surrounding glass façade of the indoor pool was carried out as a self-supporting steel construction. In addition to the swung form of the architecture, the pool’s distinctiveness lies in its vivid structure. This comes from the glass elements with their various light translucencies and playful arrangement in the façade ensemble. A composition of transparent, translucent and opaque elements gives the surrounding building shell transparency and openness where desired while at the same time protecting other areas from views from the outside. To this effect, opaque elements were covered with white screen printing. These add strong accents to the rhythmical façade ensemble while serving as opaque coverings of the construction elements behind it.
courtesy Florian Geserer, Foto Sexauer
The light diffusing insulating glass OKALUX K from OKALUX provides the translucent element in this ensemble. The capillary glass not only guaranties an optimal distribution of light – it creates a very special atmosphere in the interior of the bath. This effect results from the capillary tubes inserted in the cavity of the OKALUX functional glass. They diffuse the incidental daylight evenly and glare-free deep into the room creating optimal light conditions in the building whatever the conditions of radiation. Even sensitive areas like the sauna receive much light in the interior. Here the capillary slab inserted in the cavity of the OKALUX functional glass also ensures maximum privacy. A further plus from OKALUX K: in addition to the high light transmission and excellent thermal sun protection, the capillary glass offers a significantly improved heat insulation value in the winter.
courtesy Florian Geserer, Foto Sexauer
The interaction of the building form and the façade design lend the indoor pool in Ismaning an inherent harmony allowing the new construction to blend easily into the surroundings in perfect congruence with the proportions of the landscape.
+ Project facts
Object Indoor Swimming Pool, Ismaning/Germany
Client Gemeindewerke Ismaning (Municipal Utilities)/Germany
Architect prpm Architekten+Stadtplaner GmbH, Munich/Germany
Completion 2013
Glass OKALUX K from OKALUX GmbH, Marktheidenfeld/Germany
Photos prpm Architekten+Stadtplaner GmbH / Florian Geserer, Foto Sexauer / Klaus Leidorf
