make your fridays matter with a well-read weekend

SENAA architekti’s Aquapark in Kyjov imparts strong linearity to 'fluid' architecture

Exploring the liminal space between modern and modernist, Aquapark Sport and Relaxation Centre delineates its newer interventions and older remnants through fluid thresholds.

by Anmol AhujaPublished on : Jan 09, 2024

There lies a certain disarmament in architectures dealing with a certain hydrological force, manmade or natural. It is indicative of—at least on the surface—a return to something elemental, beckoning simplicity and primordiality itself, irrespective of the visual appearance or qualities such an architecture may manifest. Much akin to biophilia, some architectures may come to mimic the liquid’s fluid state and a reverence for non-conformity of the orthogonal. Interestingly, a near-polar reversal, especially in formal language, seems to occur when it comes to an architecture that harbours or stores water and has to do with containing it as a force wherein necessary technical parameters seem to take precedence over formal or stylistic language. Dams, water tanks (both subterranean and overground), and even swimming pools tread the liminal interface between infrastructure and amenity and may be regarded more as feats of engineering than architecture, despite being essential visual—even urban—markers. Cultures around the world have attempted to aestheticise and appropriate this sect of architecture, both collectively and individually, with colour, myriad forms, and even kitsch. In the absence of it, a modernist, brutal outlook, aesthetic, and construction falls right in line with the latter kind of hydrological architecture.

  • The Aquapark complex comprises the older outdoor pool, and the new construction with the indoor pool to complement the former | Aquapark Kyjov | SENAA architekti | STIRworld
    The Aquapark complex comprises the older outdoor pool, and the new construction with the indoor pool to complement the former Image: Courtesy of BoysPlayNice
  • The outdoor swimming pool offers three lanes with a length of 50m | Aquapark Kyjov | SENAA architekti | STIRworld
    The outdoor swimming pool offers three lanes with a length of 50 metres Image: Courtesy of BoysPlayNice
  • A parasol assembly shades the bar area and the smaller outdoor pools | Aquapark Kyjov | SENAA architekti | STIRworld
    A parasol assembly shades the bar area and the smaller outdoor pools Image: Courtesy of BoysPlayNice

The interesting tension between modernisation as a process and modernism as a bona fide age and stylistic leaning in architecture is what, for me, guides the design of The Aquapark Sport and Relaxation Centre in Kyjov, Czech Republic. The design of the Aquapark by SENAA architekti is wonderfully retro, leaning towards functionalism but not without an unmistakable style of which several nods to modernist masters can be singled out. The strictly cuboidal volume of the enclosure harbouring the indoor pool, for instance, has obvious allusions to Mies Van Der Rohe’s sect of minimal modern, along with bare glimpses of hi-tech architecture from the 70s with its extensive use of metal in its facade and the many related augments—like the slide—springing off of an essentialist ‘shell’.

  • A waddle pool for children is located beside the main outdoor pool | Aquapark Kyjov | SENAA architekti | STIRworld
    A waddle pool for children is located beside the main outdoor pool Image: Courtesy of BoysPlayNice
  • Outdoor benches and a series of showers and changing rooms act as ancillary arrangements for the outdoor pool | Aquapark Kyjov | SENAA architekti | STIRworld
    Outdoor benches and a series of showers and changing rooms act as ancillary arrangements for the outdoor pool Image: Courtesy of BoysPlayNice
  • A bird’s eye view of the outdoor pool area | Aquapark Kyjov | SENAA architekti | STIRworld
    A parasol assembly shades the barA bird’s eye view of the outdoor pool area Image: Courtesy of BoysPlayNice

The architects describe the inception of the project as the modernisation of the outdoor public swimming pool design that dates back to the early 20th century with the establishment of the river swimming spa. The ‘modernisation’ eventually led to the construction of a new indoor pool to complement it, and other ancillary structures to constitute a complex, being greenlit. Historicity seems an essential backbone for the project, both in terms of influence and context, with the project’s location triangulated between the city centre, Central Kyjov Park, and the existing city fabric, serving as further impetus for a chance interactibility for pedestrians. While the site is affronted by 100-year-old trees on the side of the existing context, the new forecourt for the outdoor pool also extends and is tied seamlessly with the pedestrian and cycling route from the city centre. Revitalised greenery, improved paving, a cafe, and other urban amenities invite passers-by into the complex and onto the outdoor terraces accessible from the lobby.

  • Clear glass full surface glazing ensures a blurring of visual interfaces between the indoor and outdoor pools | Aquapark Kyjov | SENAA architekti | STIRworld
    Clear glass full surface glazing ensures a blurring of visual interfaces between the indoor and outdoor pools Image: Courtesy of BoysPlayNice
  • An external water slide seems to emanate from the cuboidal edifice of the indoor pool building | Aquapark Kyjov | SENAA architekti | STIRworld
    An external water slide seems to emanate from the cuboidal edifice of the indoor pool building Image: Courtesy of BoysPlayNice
  • The new building’s forecourt connects to the pedestrian path along the road from and to the city centre | Aquapark Kyjov | SENAA architekti | STIRworld
    The new building’s forecourt connects to the pedestrian path along the road from and to the city centre Image: Courtesy of BoysPlayNice

The built is parallely aligned with the outdoor swimming pool with carefully designed pedestrian walkways and landscape design separating the two, forming a prominent yet softly transitioning threshold between the ‘inside’ and ‘outside’—all the more pronounced in the case of a building operating in these dualities. While maintaining visual contact between the two major pools, the facade of the new building is clad in brick strips on the ground level, and gold-coloured perforated sheet metal on the upper level, forming distinct horizontal striations and spatial hierarchies. The indoor pool finds itself aligned at right angles with the outdoor pool to enhance the sense of connection, especially in direction of movement, even if not in proximity. With the pool chamber being fully surface-glazed with clear glass, users of the pool may experience the expanse of the landscape outside.

  • The interiors follow the same modernist principles with its exposed structural framework | Aquapark Kyjov | SENAA architekti | STIRworld
    The interiors follow the same modernist principles with its exposed structural framework Image: Courtesy of BoysPlayNice
  • The indoor pool has five lanes with a length of 25m | Aquapark Kyjov | SENAA architekti | STIRworld
    The indoor pool has five lanes with a length of 25m Image: Courtesy of BoysPlayNice
  • Sparse interior elements follow a similar visual vocabulary in the interiors of the building | Aquapark Kyjov | SENAA architekti | STIRworld
    Sparse interior elements follow a similar visual vocabulary in the interiors of the building Image: Courtesy of BoysPlayNice
  • The wellness area on the ground floor houses five different kinds of saunas | Aquapark Kyjov | SENAA architekti | STIRworld
    The wellness area on the ground floor houses five different kinds of saunas Image: Courtesy of BoysPlayNice

Both pool areas on the inside and outside of the structure have been fitted out to encapsulate multifarious experiences for swimmers of all age groups, including benches with massage jets, pool spouts, water slides, a whirlpool, and a wading pool for children, with the exception of a basketball hoop only in the outside deck. The indoor pool area is further subdivided into the swimming and adventure pools, along with the wellness area. The latter comprises five saunas with different sizes, temperatures, and experiences— tropical, salt, aroma, a Turkish steam bath, and a Finnish ceremonial sauna. The ground floor of the wellness area is rounded out by a cooling pool and a relaxation room with a Barrisol starry sky, along with the Aqua bar counter that serves both the indoor and outdoor pools. Minimal modifications were made to the outdoor pool area, with steel insertions structurally reinforcing the existing pools, backing the idea of an interventive extent—and the idea of architectural style and statement—in projects such as this.

  • Aquapark Sport and Relaxation Centre, Kyjov: Site Plan | Aquapark Kyjov | SENAA architekti | STIRworld
    Aquapark Sport and Relaxation Centre, Kyjov: Site Plan Image: Courtesy of SENAA architekti
  • Aquapark Sport and Relaxation Centre, Kyjov: Floor Plans | Aquapark Kyjov | SENAA architekti | STIRworld
    Aquapark Sport and Relaxation Centre, Kyjov: Floor Plans Image: Courtesy of SENAA architekti
  • Aquapark Sport and Relaxation Centre, Kyjov: Longitudinal section through the indoor pool area and new building | Aquapark Kyjov | SENAA architekti | STIRworld
    Aquapark Sport and Relaxation Centre, Kyjov: Longitudinal section through the indoor pool area and new building Image: Courtesy of SENAA architekti
  • Aquapark Sport and Relaxation Centre, Kyjov: West Elevation | Aquapark Kyjov | SENAA architekti | STIRworld
    Aquapark Sport and Relaxation Centre, Kyjov: West Elevation Image: Courtesy of SENAA architekti

What do you think?

About Author

Recommended

LOAD MORE
see more articles
6855,6856,6857,6858,6859

make your fridays matter

SUBSCRIBE
This site uses cookies to offer you an improved and personalised experience. If you continue to browse, we will assume your consent for the same.
LEARN MORE AGREE
STIR STIRworld SENAA architekti use modernist influences to shape the Aquapark Sport and Relaxation Centre in Kyjov | Aquapark Kyjov | SENAA architekti | STIRworld

SENAA architekti’s Aquapark in Kyjov imparts strong linearity to 'fluid' architecture

Exploring the liminal space between modern and modernist, Aquapark Sport and Relaxation Centre delineates its newer interventions and older remnants through fluid thresholds.

by Anmol Ahuja | Published on : Jan 09, 2024