Hallenbad
K&L Architekten

Go to projects and case studies

 

---

 

In this context, the public indoor pool of the town is of specific importance. On the ground of the “Sportanlage Buchholz,” the local sports ground, the community built the largest water area in Switzerland in a construction time of one and a half years. It features a 1,968 inch Olympic pool which can be divided into two pools measuring 984 inch each – a unique system in Switzerland. The new indoor pool in Uster offers enough space for leisure and competitive swimming, a large kids area and wellness. This offer is rounded off by offices, meeting rooms, gyms, and club rooms as well as a cafeteria and shop. The design of the outside area underlines the park character.

 

 

Architectural competition

The re-design started with an architectural competition. The task for the architects: create new water areas, which fulfill Olympic standards and add the respective infrastructure. The question of how to deal with the old building was up to the architect’s decision. K&L Architekten won the competition – not least because they created a new overall design, which clearly distinguished itself from the old one. The old building wasn’t visible any more. They only kept the basin, the floor plate, and the lower floor – everything else was built completely new. Thomas Lehmann, the architect responsible for the project, summarizes: “Our task was to organize the room in such a way that the pool could be used flexibly at any time. This included competitions as well as a mixed usage for competitive and leisure sports or a pure use for leisure only.”

---

 

 

Flexible formats

For the whole project, different Mosa tiles have been used. Besides the Core Collection Solids product line, you will also find Murals Blend and Global Collection tiles. For Lehmann, an important aspect was the fact that the Mosa tiles have different, flexible formats to play with. Thus, the walls are made more artistic. The white tile in three different sizes, combined with a dark joint, creates a single-colored mosaic. The floor is classic, with a strong haptics so that people feel comfortable, especially when walking barefooted. “The flexibility of Mosa tiles helped us to work creatively. Playing with the different sizes and the reduced coloring were ideal to bring our ideas to life,” continues Lehmann.

From his point of view, Uster has taken the chance to realize a large swimming center in Switzerland. The owner was successful in gaining the citizens’ acceptance for such a huge project – and to also integrate as many different wishes as possible within a reasonable budget. Lehmann is proud of this outstanding project. “Mosa for me is quality, aesthetics, and innovation. Come to think of it, this is true for the whole project. May be that is why the Mosa tiles fit perfectly well into our concept for the Uster pool.”