The Harbour Bath, Copenhagen, Julien De Smedt.

The people of Copenhagen have been able to swim in the city’s harbour in perfect safety while enjoying beautiful views of the city since 2002, thanks to the farsightedness of the city government which has invested in modernising the canals and wastewater treatment, and to a project by PLOT (JDS+BIG).

Five swimming pools, two of which are specifically for children, in which the quality of the water is checked every day, offer the people of Copenhagen refuge from the heat and lots of fun between June and the end of August.

The baths are designed on the basis of the principle that the true reason people frequent a sports facility is not the sport itself, but the desire to socialise and spend their leisure time together. As a result what the place offers is not Olympic size pools for swimming back and forth, but a sort of “Fun Bath” with big sundecks and a lawn where people can get together and socialise until late in the evening. A symbol of the new potential of the harbour now that it has been restored to the people of the city.

The project also focuses on environmental sustainability. The pontoons can easily be removed and are made of wood from Scandinavian forests: a renewable material.

Unlike classic swimming pools, the Harbour Bath requires little energy and resources for operation and maintenance, as the true engine driving it is the human energy of the people who use it.


Design: PLOT (Julien De Smedt) with BIG, http://jdsa.eu/
Size: 1600 m2
Location: COPENHAGEN, DK
Client: COPENHAGEN CITY, THE SPACE AND FACILITY FOUNDATION FOR SPORTS
Photographs: Julien De Smedt, photo 2: Casper Dalhoff
Completion of work: 2003

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