published in sb magazine 3/2024
The old swimming pool in Saint-Méen-Le-Grand, a municipality in the centre of Brittany, was built in 1994 and has since been upgraded and extended several times (2008, 2013 and 2015). The French architects RAUM pursued two objectives with the current refurbishment: firstly, extensive modernisation of the existing building (pool, beams, all walls and plant room); and, secondly, the construction of a new pool as an extension towards the abbey.
The original architecture of the swimming pool consisted of brickwork, a timber frame and a slate roof. It was modelled on the prevailing local building style and takes the form of a pavilion building whose public character finds expression solely in difference in scale.
The various successive extensions exhibited a heterogeneity of stone blocks and timber frame walls on the adjacent buildings opposite the abbey of Saint-Méen-le-Grand. As a result, the complex evolved into a conglomeration of low-quality buildings in poor condition.
The facility's existing condition and the need to use resources sparingly made it necessary to retain as much of the superstructure as possible.
© Charles Bouchaïb
