Reabilitação da Piscina Municipal de Germering, reflexão sobre um concurso de arquitectura

Abstract

This dissertation focusses on the study of a project, made for a public architecture competition, and its creative process. It regards the refurbishment and restructuring of the Municipal Swimming Pool in Germering - a city located in Bavaria, Germany - and was organized at a regional level by Germering's City Hall. The pool was built in 1972 and had already been the target of several interventions, the most recent one in 2009. However, the building was well maintained. The base for this work is a study of the history and evolution of the swimming pool as an architectural type of construction and the relation between man and water. Reaching back from the baths of classical antiquity to the more contemporary pools, the study will include the use of public baths during the Middle Ages and follow history throughout the teaching of swimming, that served as a motivation for the construction of new swimming pools after the 18th century. Secondly, the historical and geographical context in which this work is included is presented, analyzing simultaneously the surroundings and limitations presented by the competition's program - crucial for the final solution. Through a descriptive design memorial, it's possible to understand the building as it was before the intervention. Afterwards, the theme of the competition as a democratic process for an architectural creation is developed, including the specific conditions of this competition - along with a detailed program. With schematic drawings, sketches and models, the creative process is shown and explained, along with the different alternatives that were hypothesized, until we reach the final version and its presentation drawings. Lastly, a review is done, along with corrections of design problems identified previously, including also the budget execution and client negotiations.