Urban swimming pool ‘Brigitte Becue’ and apartments
Oostende, Belgium, Europe
K Level (swimmingpool/app): 18 / <40
E Level (swimmingpool/app): 47 (E-max = 66) / < 45
Project description:
In cooperation with TMVW, (The Public Water Utility Company of Flanders, Belgium) the City of Ostend awarded the new building complex project to the consortium *Olco-Sportsphere. This ± 13,000 m³ project consists of an underground car park with 69 parking spaces, a swimming pool complex with 4 pools, sauna and outdoor facilities and social housing complex with 22 apartments for ‘Woonwel’.
The swimming complex consists of a 50m Olympic sized pool, with a partially movable bottom, a 25m instructional pool that has a fully movable bottom to a depth of 5m and a recreational pool for toddlers, children and young adults. Integrated in the complex is a whirlpool and sauna.
Together B2ai and VenhoevenCS designed a transparent and energy-efficient building complex. The building envelope complies according to current standards and is acoustically and thermally optimized. The well-set windows and skylights provide excellent daylight and, where necessary, equipped with solar controlled glazing to reduce solar loads. There are sections of window frames that can be opened to allow the inhabitants to regulate their own indoor climate. Where there are large internal heat loads, cooling is provided upon demand. The design is based on the use of views of the green surroundings and green planting to extend the green surroundings of the golf course.
Boydens Engineering was responsible for the design and site follow-up of the mechanical, electrical and public health installations required for the safe, comfortable and environmentally friendly operation of this modern building complex, both for the swimming pool complex and for the apartments.
Modern technology is hereby utilized in the building complex and integrated within the architectural framework without compromising the aesthetical value of the design. The apartments have their own autonomous technical provisions.
The Boydens energy consulting department provided specialized advice during each design phase and provided a framework study in terms of sustainability, including feasibility study, EPB reporting, cold bridges etc.
The close cooperation of the entire building team meant that the client’s ambition level of E-max -10% was amply achieved. In addition to low-energy techniques for the conditioning of the building and its rooms, special attention was paid to water management in the complex. Efforts were also made to generate sustainable energy ‘on site’ through the use of photovoltaic panels, solar boilers and heat pump installations.
** The consortium partners are: Olco-Sportsphere from Stadsbader, VenhoevenCS, BuroII & ARCHI + I (B2ai), Boydens Engineering, Ney & Partners, KWB and Blasco.