In February 2019, the swimming pool "De Boetzelaer" in Monster, Netherlands, was completely destroyed by fire. Now it is being rebuilt from the ground up. Not an everyday project, because the requirement was to combine a fast construction, a fireproof building envelope and architectural freedom.

  

When the swimming pool reopens in the summer of 2021, it will be reminiscent of a rock formation in a surf. However, it is not only the unusual architecture that is interesting, but also the internal construction: the basis of the building is a steel framework. The interior cavity and roof will be constructed with prefabricated autoclaved aerated concrete (AAC) walls and roof panels from Hebel. These are placed against the steel structure of the building on the inside and thus form a fireproof shell. Even the pillars in the building are covered with fireproof Hebel panels.



On the inside, the Hebel panels have a special hygienic coating that is resistant to vapors and moisture. "Since a swimming pool is faced with temperature differences, a humid climate and chlorine fumes, the best solution is a facade cladding with an intermediate structure of autoclaved aerated concrete walls," explains Siu Kin Shek of BAS1S Architecten, who designed the new swimming pool. "The elements can be installed quickly and there is no need to drill through the steel construction.  In addition, this system gives me, as an architect, considerable design freedom," he continues.

The construction of the new swimming pool will be carried out by the construction company De Vries en Verburg together with Xella Nederland.