Cultural & Civic Sector

Together with engineer’s Ove Arup and Partners, the design team developed an environmental strategy exploiting the significant thermal mass of the building’s structure to provide passive environmental control of humidity and temperature, obviating the need for powered air-conditioning with its high capital, running and maintenance costs. Since opening to the public, it has received universal acclaim for its customer friendly facilities and efficient working environment. BDK Architects also undertook Interior Design for the project encompassing detailing and procurement of the bespoke furniture and management of Public Art interventions. The project has been highly praised by acclaimed architectural critics and reviews have been published in the Architects Journal, Architectural Review and Architectural Research Quarterly.

After a very rich history of nearly one hundred years, with the advent of indoor heated pools from the 1960’s, the Bathing Pool’s use unfortunately declined, and for many years lay decaying from the ravages of its sea environment, much to the disappointment of those who knew the joy the pool had brought in its hey-day.

Whilst States Departments had given some financial support over the years, this had barely covered basic maintenance, and the Jersey Swimming Club wanted to realise the dormant potential that cried out to be fulfilled at the Bathing Pool. In 1994 we worked with the Club developing a scheme for the refurbishment and re-use of the Pool and a States working party was set up in to look at the future of the pool and its surroundings.

With our Client, we sought private and States funding, including a bid for the project to become the States “realisable” Millennium Project. Finally, the Swimming Club relinquished its lease thereby allowing the Waterfront Enterprise Board to secure funding from States Tourism Investment Fund for commissioning us to undertake a detailed feasibility report and progress the project to fruition. After exhaustive research and many difficult design considerations, we compiled a graphic Feasibility Study illustrating the potential and possible alternative uses, aimed to fulfil our brief of “making the pool a vibrant centre for water related activities, maximising Tourism impact”. The Feasibility Study included research into the history of the Pool, investigation of existing structural problems and providing options for renovation of the listed historic structure with an exhaustive summary of the opportunities for the pool’s future use. Our report included in-house concept visuals and outline design proposals, also used for the large Public Meeting and Consultation exercise we conducted, including distributed response sheets to obtain public opinion.

The main renovation, adaptation and enhancement of the original facilities was successfully completed to wide acclaim and brought one of the world’s largest open-air Lidos back to its former glory. We have been privileged to be instrumental in realising this exciting project which includes a new permanent bridge link from the Havre des Pas promenade to the rock-founded facilities within the bay, thus giving everyone easy access to a new cafeteria, toilets with changing facilities, beach shower, extensive observation and sun decks and a new arc of terracing providing an amphitheatre overlooking pool area activities that can now once again take place. Our work brought Havre Des Pas Bathing Pool back into full use, making it again a very popular facility.

In March 2020, BDK Architects were excited to hand over a fully functional, state-of-the-art facility to our client and in doing so securing the past for future generations.