HARBOUR BATH MAKES A SPLASH
12 Jul 2018
A new harbour bath complex, the largest ocean structures of its type in the world, has officially opened its gates to the public in Aarhus, Denmark, just in time for the summer season. Built to hold up to 650 visitors, the complex is an exciting new public space that encourages activity from people of all ages and brings life back to the shores of Aarhus.
Built by Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG), the harbour bath makes up a plaza that juts out from the harbourside, floating off the coast of the city. The complex includes a 50-metre-long pool, a kid’s pool, a circular diving pool and two saunas. In addition to the swimming spaces, the harbour bath also includes various communal spaces, including a beach volleyball court, bars and cafes.
Future plans from BIG see them working alongside urban design studio Gehl on expanding the harbourfront, and will see the development of a theatre, hotel, restaurants, bathing huts and retail.
An elevated plank walkway stretches across the space, providing a place for visitors to stroll along and the pools and harbour landscape. The pools are surrounded by a cut wood platform, turning the area into a geometrical work of art when viewed from above.
The harbour bath is not intended to be a separate component of the harbour, but rather an extension of the harbourside cityscape. Recently the area constructed a large public library, the first in a long list of new developments that are intending to bring life back to the area.
The project was originally slated in 2014 by BIG and is set to remain open until the end of summer in Denmark.