For the German city of Leipzig, gmp Architects completed Sportbad am Rabet: a public swimming pool located between the urban traffic corridor along Eisenbahnstraße and the adjacent Rabet Park—from which the pool takes its name. The cuboid building is designed to Passive House standards, completed with modular constuction method and topped with a green roof. Its accessible interior features a six-lane competition pool, a teaching pool, a children’s pool, an athletics room and a meeting room for clubs.

Modular construction

The building was constructed using a modular system made of concrete elements—columns, walls, beams—with integrated insulation that were prefabricated in the factory and assembled onsite. By working with prefabricated modular elements, the architects were able to limit construction days on site, reducing emissions and noise pollution in the densley built-up residential area.

Concrete was chosen for its inherent durability and resilience in chlorine-rich environments like swimming pools. The architects explain that a limited material palette was selected to mininimse maintenance demands and contribute to a more economically sustainable building lifecycle.

Design

From the road, the building is unassuming: a light-grey geometric form with floor-to-ceiling glazing across the ground floor. The expansive windows open up the interiors to the landscape—both busy streetscape and adjacent parkland—flooding the building with natural light. Inside, the high-ceilinged interiors feature pale blue tiling, which add a soft contrast to the grey concrete elements and blue of the water.

Accessibility

The municipal pool has been designed for accessibility: it features step-free access from transit and parking, automated doors, accessible changing rooms, toilets and amenities, a pool lift and transfer aids. The building also features a guidance system designed to help improve orientation for visually impaired users.

This system consists of texture floor surfaces that begin at nearby arrival points—including public transport connections—and connect to key destinations at the pool: the reception, changing rooms, bathrooms and pool areas. High contrast surfaces are also used to make architectural elements easier to distinguish. 

Swimming areas are acoustically separated, meaning that the sound of all pool-goers does not accumulate in a single echoing hall. This assists auditory orientation, makes communication easier and helps reduce the overall sensory overload that can come with loud public places. 

Sustainability

To align with Leipzig’s sustainability goals, the design employs Passive House standards. Energy is provided by solar thermal energy and an integrated rooftop PV system. While  not seen in the photos, the building's rooftop is completed with a greened retention roof from ZinCo that features a wildflower meadow and is designed for bees. This biodiverse area was incorporated by the architects to compensate for the area of parkland that was lost through the build.