LABUST Research Pool
On paper, everything is simple, since you just need to dig a pool, and in practice everything is complicated. Starting with the basic construction project for the swimming pool, which is digging a hole about 3m deep, this time inside the building and a very limited budget. As manual digging of a pit measuring 8x4x3m is no longer an option, the only option was to bring a “children’s” caterpillar into the premises to dig vertical excavations practically next to and under the existing foundations. In addition, excavations encountered “archeology” in the sense of dead sewer pipes for which the origin and purpose were then to be discovered, as well as large pieces of concrete from former foundations that were thrown waiting for someone to discover and forget again.
Around the pool, there is an operational part within which there is a robotic crane for lowering and raising drones, while in the pool there are cameras and lighting for better monitoring of their movements.
The finishing of the floor surface is PVC in two colors, while under the existing steel roof structure there is a suspended ceiling of different heights. Outdoor light is filtered through shelves designed to expose underwater robotic submarines and specific equipment.
Next to the pool hall, a “niche” with tables for occasional work is planned, as well as a kitchenette. The task was to “minimize” the intervention on the facade of the building in terms of bringing it into functional condition with all the necessary information and logos of the institutions involved, which was “used” to achieve a visual identity and perception of the new purpose through the exterior.
The project was co-financed by the European Union from the European Regional Development Fund.
