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Public Swimming Pools in Grecia

Location: Grecia, Costa Rica
Year: 2022
Status: Project
Area: 1,919 m²
Sector: Public, sports and institutional space

Public Swimming Pools in Grecia, render of the volume with a sawtooth roof, a geometry that brings in continuous natural light, Grecia

Public Swimming Pools in Grecia, night render of the entrance through the small plaza, the building visible from the street, Grecia

Public Swimming Pools in Grecia, render of the double-height lobby at the foot of the amphitheater stair, Grecia

Public Swimming Pools in Grecia, render of the lounge areas on the first level next to locker rooms and offices, Grecia

Public Swimming Pools in Grecia, render of the semi-Olympic pool with skylight and permanent cross ventilation, Grecia

Public Swimming Pools in Grecia, render of the pool in a space without intermediate walls, a view from one end to the other, Grecia

Section of the Public Swimming Pools in Grecia with the sawtooth roof and the two pools, Grecia

Overview

Grecia, in the western part of the Central Valley, is a growing city with a mild climate and developing commerce. Its most recognisable building is the church in the town centre, built with red metal sheets. The Public Swimming Pools are located next to the Liceo Deportivo de Grecia, on the sports grounds of Barrio Jiménez and about one hundred metres west of SINEM.

The project is resolved in a single volume with a sawtooth roof and facades. This geometry recalls Eladio Dieste’s Church of Atlántida in Uruguay and provides continuous natural light and permanent cross ventilation. Inside are a semi-Olympic main pool and a smaller circular pool, together with changing rooms, offices, lounge areas and a plant room.

Visitors arrive through a small plaza and descend a flight of steps that also works as an amphitheatre and creates a double-height entrance. The changing rooms and offices are on the first level. The pools are on the second level, in a space without intermediate walls that leaves the view open from one end to the other.

The pools can be seen from the street by day and by night. The red of the envelope takes up the material of the church in the town centre and links the building to the city. It is a facility for sport, health and community gathering.