“Imagine swimming on your back with a goal to the basement of the church and its colored glass,” says Winn Mass, the founding partner of MVRDV. Well, you can do this soon. Studies From architecture MVRDV and ZECC Architecten unveiled its heavenly plans for sacred water, General gathering within the old church From San Francisco de Assis, in Herlene.
The Holy Water will occupy the church ship in 1923Empty for two years, it will make it a social space with a gathering in its center. Here the divine comes: swimming pool It contains an adjustable floor, which means that it can be completely hidden (flexible space for different uses), or dumping the entire room with a layer of shallow water so that visitors can walk on the water inside the church, “according to the MVRDV statement.
“By covering the entire pool area With a small layer of water, you can also create a beautiful visual effect, allowing the church to restore its original shape and look larger and impressive by reflecting, “Maas adds.
The design maintains a lot of church, while re -perception of space intelligently. Banks Church It will be reused as seats next to the pool and Cafeteria furnitureWhile colored glass windows will continue to shower with colored light. And the old pulpit? It is the new seat of the guard.
Visitors can walk across halls Old Church And look at the pool through the curved windows, which lead to the changing rooms and comfortable cafeteria in the back. All space will be completed with a mosaic floor Imposed in cooperation with local artists, winking to the vibrant wall of Heerleen.
naturally, Converting the centenary church At the swimming center, it does not walk specifically in the garden or in this case, Decreased in shallow water. One of the main obstacles is to preserve the warm and sustainable space without damaging the historical properties of the building.
The solution passes through Smart division by glass walls, Isolation is proven by external ventilation systems and hidden breakage on the bottom floor. The original church roof will be preserved, with absorption fonabs panels to keep the audio under control.
For diamonds, the challenge is worth it. “The unemployment rate in the church is increasingSo we have to Suggest new ideas And accurately for these buildings, “explains.” Why do not these churches give a social function, such as those they had before? A Swimming pool The audience is perfect for this. But swimming clothes have not yet been placed: The pool is expected to be open in 2027.
