Renovation of the emblematic Municipal Baths in Strasbourg
“This is not a building that leaves one unmoved. When you come for a visit, there is a very clear poetic relationship to space and to light. It has plenty of charm. It is a construction of both antique and neo-regional inspiration. This equilibrium is fragile and it is necessary to preserve it”, says François Chatillon, Founder of the agency.
Build by the architect Fritz Beblo from 1905, the Municipal Baths in Strasbourg are an emblematic place in the city. Very dear to its inhabitants, the building needed to be restored, rehabilitated and new spaces created so that it could once again become a pool anchored in its time and looking forward to the future. This project was entrusted to a consortium consisting of Chatillon Architectes, TNA Architectes, Eiffage, Equalia and Quadriplus.
Located at the crossroads of the medieval city of Strasbourg and the Neustadt, a district resulting from the extension of the city by the German Empire from 1870 to 1918, the Municipal Baths in Strasbourg opened their doors in 1908. The building, revolutionary for its time, manages to combine technical concrete and architectural eclecticism, a construction of both antique and neo-regional inspiration. Located in the heart of the UNESCO perimeter, the building is classified as a historical monument since 2017. When it opened, the site offered a variety of facilities: indoor pools, public showers, sauna, solarium and even a dog grooming area!
To carry out this delicate renovation, the City of Strasbourg, owner of the building, has entrusted SPL Deux-Rives, which selected the group of companies led by Eiffage Construction Alsace, in partnership with Chatillon Architectes agency, which carried out the restoration and rehabilitation project for the covered facility and the emblematic interiors, and TNA agency for the construction of the new aquatic and sports facilities. The new Baths will be managed by the company Equalia.
The project consists of a restoration project, upgrading and adaptation of the site to new contemporary uses, in respect of this monument dear to the residents of Strasbourg. The intervention had to meet several objectives: to enhance the value of the existing building, to restore certain elements and decorations that had disappeared or been altered, to ensure that the building was safe and accessible, to renew all of the technical equipment and to design the contemporary fittings expected by the users of this facility. In a nutshell, to anchor it in our time without giving up its amazing initial qualities.
