Trees and meadows are fenced in with light wooden slats, meter-high heaps of earth pile up everywhere. Windows rattle as the excavator begins to tear down the changing rooms in the Georgenschwaigbad. The outhouse is already flattened.
Demolition work began in Schwabing’s summer pool on Thursday. The outdoor pool on the corner of Belgradstraße/Petuelring will be converted into a CO₂-neutral natural pool for around 15 million euros, based on the model of the Maria Einsiedel natural pool in Thalkirchen, which is the only one in Munich to date. The conversion is a pioneering project: by 2040, the public utilities want to convert all of their pools to CO₂-neutral operation. For “swimming without burning your eyes”.
The pool in the north of Munich is to be converted into a natural swimming pool.
(Photo: Lorenz Mehrlich)
In natural pools, the water is treated biologically, instead of chemical additives, microorganisms eliminate the bacteria and nutrients that bathing brings with it. For this reason, natural pools can only be heated to a maximum of 22 degrees, in contrast to conventionally equipped outdoor pools, which are heated to up to 24 degrees in Munich. In the new Bad Georgenschwaige, a water-water heat pump is to ensure the right temperature, operated by photovoltaics. The centerpiece of the water treatment will be a roughly 1,000 square meter reed area in the south of the site: the entire pool water runs through the soil filter of this regeneration area about six times a day.
Project manager Alexander Steger explains the forthcoming work.
(Photo: Lorenz Mehrlich)
“We make sure that we build as sustainably as possible,” explains project manager Alexander Steger on Thursday morning. This can be seen in the ecological concept as well as in the future building material, many things are to be made of wood. “The kiosk building and the checkout area will remain, but will be modernized,” explains Steger. Instead of the current kiosk, a small gastronomy is planned, which not only takes care of the bathers, but is also open to visitors from outside. The pool area, which is currently protected by a barrier tape, will also remain in place in the long term, will be renovated and provided with all sorts of amenities.
The pools will remain, but will be equipped with new amenities.
(Photo: Lorenz Mehrlich)
The swimming pool will have a ramp that will enable wheelchair users to slide gently into the water. And for the neighboring non-swimmer pool, a “beach entrance” and a central wooden walkway for sitting in the middle are provided. The Pfennigparade Foundation, which has several houses nearby and whose residents with restricted mobility should also use the renovated facility, was involved in the inclusive concept. The children’s area, a paddling pool shaded by awnings, will be rebuilt.
Green seating areas are planned between the three pools, and sunbathing areas will also round off the bathing zone to the east and north: there will be a sandy area for beach lovers. And for everyone who likes to be right by the pool edge, a hundred-meter-long wooden lounger deck lined with a pergola and photovoltaic panels. In terms of sustainability, this rests partly on a bridge construction so as not to damage the roots of two 120-year-old ash trees. An additional attraction is a so-called wide wave slide.
But first, in addition to the warm changing rooms, in which luminaries such as the record Olympic champion Mark Spitz from the USA changed clothes during the 1972 Summer Olympics, the “cold changing rooms” outside must also be demolished. New changing rooms are then built closer to the pools to shorten the distance to the water. The demolition will last until mid-April, after which the shell construction will begin. The new oasis is scheduled to open in the summer of 2024.