Back in 1979, a public swimming pool in Riene was one of the first orders from an architectural firm created by Jacques Herzog and Pierre de Meuron. The architects then developed several versions of this structure at once, but none of them was accepted for implementation. In 2007, the bureau got a chance to return to this object: the city authorities turned to the architects with a request to create, instead of the traditional pool, a natural one that meets the highest environmental standards.
The renovated pool is supposed to be designed as a natural reservoir, and outwardly it will resemble traditional baths on the Rhine. The water in it will be purified not by chemical means, but by means of plants and environmentally friendly filters. The Naturbad Riehen complex will include a swimming pool itself, a paddling pool for children, a diving area and a developed recreation area with a green area, play and sports grounds and, of course, a solarium. The complex will be protected from a nearby road and neighboring buildings with a wooden screen-wall, with which the architects intend to enclose the site from the western and northern sides. The entrance area and changing rooms are grouped along the eastern border of the site, while its southern side faces the river.
The complex, which can simultaneously accommodate up to 2,000 vacationers, is planned to be commissioned before the summer season of 2014.
