Public pools in disrepair are sad to see and even grosser to go into. Atlas Sports Center was one such rundown, 1970s-era relic in Paris — a grubby stinkhole that had seen better days — but local firm Yoonseux Architectes transformed it into an ultra-modern spot to strip down and do a few laps (if you’re not doing intervals, because that definitely doesn’t look like 25 yards).
Their site has a bunch of before-and-after pics, which show how much difference the makeover made — especially thanks to a few key colour switcheroos.
The white tiled deck was nixed in favour of matte black, while an eye-blindingly white acrylic resin surface, dappled for shadow and texture, replaced the black tile wall.
This, along with a forest of white cylinders that hides and filters the overhead lighting, also works to reduce the echo-chamber effect during those super-intense games of Marco Polo.
Is it weird that you can see the locker room showers from the lanes? Yeah, maybe. But it would ensure that everyone rinses off before getting in, which never, ever usually happens. [Domus]
