Information

Zentralbad Villingen-Schwenningen

Zentralbad Villingen-Schwenningen is a new swimming and wellness complex that replaces two outdated pools and anchors the city’s sports cluster between the twin centres of Villingen and Schwenningen. The project combines competitive sport, everyday recreation and wellness in a compact, energy-efficient building that is closely tied to its landscape setting.

Embedded in the landscape

The complex is carefully set into the rolling landscape between the two urban centres, making intelligent use of the natural topography. The main entrance lies on the higher side of the hill, where visitors arrive at an urban front that connects to the surrounding sports facilities. Towards the northwest, the terrain slopes away and a robust plinth lifts the building above the landscape. This plinth forms a generous terrace with expansive views over the valley, turning the swimming pool into both an everyday neighbourhood amenity and a regional destination.

Contemporary regional architecture

The design translates the timber-building tradition of the Black Forest into a contemporary public facility. The complex is composed of a series of timber volumes with gently undulating gabled roofs that together create a distinctive roofscape. These wooden volumes rest on a solid plinth that subtly elevates the building above the surrounding agricultural landscape. The plinth functions as entrance square and outdoor terrace and incorporates trees, planting and small patio gardens, extending local biodiversity right up to and into the building. In this way, regional character, landscape and public life are closely interwoven.

A clear and intuitive swimming landscape

Inside, the swimming complex is organised as a compact and intuitive swimming landscape. All pools are positioned along the outer edge of the building so that they receive abundant daylight and enjoy direct views of the surrounding landscape. Rooflights along the ridge bring daylight deep into the interior and create a bright, lively atmosphere around the water.

Two entrances converge in a shared foyer that clearly structures the different flows of visitors. Clubs and school groups move directly towards the 50 metre pool with tribune seating, while recreational visitors naturally follow the sightlines towards the leisure pools and wellness areas. This programme structure allows different parts of the building to be operated independently or in combination, offering flexibility in day-to-day management and efficient use throughout the day and week.

Wellness at the calm centre

At the heart of the building lies the wellness area, organised around a green patio and conceived as the calm centrepiece of the complex. Guests move through a sensory sequence from warm to cold and from active to restful. Saunas, a cold plunge pool, experience showers and lounge areas are complemented by a rooftop sun terrace. From this elevated outdoor space, visitors can enjoy wide views of the surrounding landscape in privacy and tranquillity, while the green patio brings light, air and planting into the core of the building.

Compact, climate-conscious design

From the very first sketch, sustainability is integrated into the form, material palette and technical concept of the swimming pool. The compact volume reduces material use and heat loss, while the interiors remain generous and filled with daylight. The façades are carefully balanced between open and closed sections to optimise daylight, winter comfort and summer shading.

A timber structural frame stores CO₂ and creates a warm, healthy indoor environment, while concrete floors provide thermal mass that passively stabilises the indoor climate. The south west facing roofs accommodate photovoltaic panels with high on-site utilisation, allowing a significant share of the energy demand to be generated locally. Natural ventilation, external shading and the use of rainwater for irrigation further reduce both energy consumption and water use.

Designed for the City of Villingen-Schwenningen by VenhoevenCS architecture+urbanism in collaboration with RKW Architektur +, the complex offers a future-oriented swimming and wellness facility that connects sport, health and landscape for the entire region.