BACKWASH _ Outdoor pools as winter performance spaces
The development of this proposal stems from an observation about summer public spaces. They are often designed for use only in the warm season. As soon as cold temperatures and snow appear, public spaces are neglected. However, this dilemma should not be solved at the expense of the summer: a winter public space should not bring the opposite problem, that is, make it impossible to use it in summer. With this in mind, public spaces that are active during the summer season were targeted, evaluating the possibility of a complementary function in winter.
The municipal outdoor pool proved to be an appropriate choice for this mandate, as well as offering advantageous existing features. The backwash of the pool at the arrival of fall gives way to a public space whose function is better suited to a winter condition.
The pool infrastructure is already well established throughout the city and its multiple locations facilitate its accessibility. We take advantage of the strategic distribution of public pools by integrating with these existing structures, establishing a network of performance spaces well spread throughout the metropolis.
The typology of the in-ground public pool is conducive to serve as a wind shelter. The interior walls that are uncovered once the pool is emptied can be used as a projection surface. Park cabins are often built nearby; while these serve as changing rooms in the summer, they can be used as a sanitary facility for the occupants of the facility.
In addition to these characteristics, there is a more poetic aspect: there is a duality, a dichotomy with the summer and winter uses of the pool. The bathers have the will to refresh themselves, to dress more lightly. Northern spectators, on the other hand, want to warm up and wear more substantial clothing. While the pool is used during the day in the summer, its winter use lends itself more to nighttime activities, especially since the period of sunshine is shorter in winter. In order to accentuate this complementarity of functions, warm colors are used in winter, which contrasts with the blue of the pool in summer.
(From competitor's text)
(Unofficial automated translation)
Public swimming pools are typically summer places, which participate in the daily animation of neighborhood parks. An obvious space, practically banal, it loses all utility when winter comes.
By proposing the winter reappropriation of these places and by revealing all kinds of new uses, the team brought a completely original idea which according to the jury, fully meets the objectives of the competition. The pool in summer creates a refreshing microclimate, and it has the potential to create a protective microclimate in winter, once it is emptied of water. Indeed, the walls have the potential to create a wind-sheltered refuge, while defining a space small enough to support a high human concentration in a now iconic space. Moreover, this solution of dual use of public pools responds to the extreme nature of the seasons in Quebec. Both participatory and playful, this project offers a potential for animation on the scale of the neighborhood and can contribute to the creation of new winter landmarks, identities, like, for example, neighborhood cinemas.
However, the jury raised questions about the regular use of this place, which requires continuous management and programming that is close to neighborhood events. The question of the regular use of this type of place, which, once "tried", risks no longer arousing interest was also raised.
(From jury report)
(Unofficial automated translation)
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