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agi_architects

The swimming pools of Marinha Grande project is a worthy to be recognized as an architecture that is fully integrated in its environment, formally, socially and materially.

By its form, the plan is a continuation of the surrounding streets; the building is broken down to the site's urban scale. Socially, the separation of the different parts of the program makes more extensive occupation the plot during the day as an urban gathering spot. And the very material of the façade is thought to promote the local industry and makes the building an iconic image of the city's architecture.

From the beginning we intended to integrate the design in the existing network of surrounding streets of this sports area. Therefore instead of creating an obstacle with a peripheral circulation, we chose to overlap our building with a square that links all converging routes onto the site.

The superposition of the streets onto the plot is forming in the corners of the sites the four volumes of the 4 pools that fit in between the ramps and stairs that lead to the central square. The route using the ramps is a slower pace like a relaxed walk from which one can see the pools in activity, but directs stairs can give the daily users a faster route to the pools entrance.

By opposition to the surrounding streets we decided to deform this grid and the volumes of the pools to obtain an organic and fluid design which ultimately acts as an urban attractor for the area.

The program of the pools is placed lower than ground level, giving prime location to the urban space and as well protecting the volumes that contain the pools. The central square aims to convert itself into meeting place to take a coffee at the terrace. From this spot the visual relation is very strong with the pools that are below, one can see what is happening inside the building without interfering with the users.


Swimming pools users:
The access to the pools can be thought the spa at the lower level in a wet route or from the square the dry route. Despite the different level on which the pools are placed they are all linked with a ramps system that allows covering the full wet tour.
Visitors:
For competitions there is a second entrance on the north façade with a direct access to the central patio. A well access to sittings is a separate route from the central ramps.
Spa and Gym users:
From inside the building after passing the ticket desks the central ramp leads users to the gym and spa on the lower level. Once at this level it is possible to reach up to the pools.
Professor and staff:
There is a completely separate route for professors and staff with changing room and lift.

Visitors Bar-Restaurant and mixed use rooms:
Access is from the square and ramps without interfering the functioning of the pools.



Type: Leisure / Sport

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