Therapeutic pool

Landeyeux, Switzerland

Photo © Yves André

Architects: meier + associés architectes

Location: Landeyeux, Switzerland
Year: 2007
Client: Hopital Neuchatelois

The architectural goal of this project is to create a single volume whose edges are subtly angled, both in plan and elevation view, to ensure harmonious integration with the different buildings on the site. The volume sits rather like a sculpture in the magnificent Jura landscape of the Val-de-Ruz. The total planarity of its glass and copper skin makes a contemporary statement, whilst the connecting footbridge is an outgrowth of the main volume, and an echo of the material used.

The decision to use prepatinated copper was made because its colour is very similar to that of the vegetation in the area, including the conifers on the peaks of the Jura and the agricultural land in the valley. The use of sprayed acid to create the prepatination gives the copper “life” and initiates a non-uniform ageing process resembling that of the surrounding landscape, with its remarkable spatial qualities.

The double-height pool interacts with the landscape through large, “picture-frame” windows and skylights, as well as through internal windows on the upper floor. The use of coloured, custom-laid concrete gives the internal space of this pool an individual materiality and texture.