Les Fontaines Swimming Pool, Rambouillet

Project overview: 

The swimming pool is composed of a 25 m sports pool, a 50 m Olympic pool, a learner pool, a toddler pool, an outdoor water slide, and a wellness area with hammam, sauna and sports rooms.

A perfect integration

COSTE Architectures opted for a sober massing and a contemporary architecture. Beyond the various interventions from different eras, the façades are treated in a unified way to give the facility real coherence and to bring it a modern, expressive identity. The timber cladding of the façades, complemented by an identical treatment inside, resonates with the identity of the Rambouillet area.Equipment and energy performance
Overall consumption will be reduced by 36%, with a level of around 600 kWh/sqm SDO.
Bioclimatic design: following the path of the sun, the western and northern orientations will be very closed so as to protect from the cold and from afternoon overheating, which would generate additional costs linked to evaporation. All southern exposures (refurbishment or new build) will benefit from solar protection at the ridge, creating shadow effects through siding boards whose thickness and spacing have been optimised through Ecotect simulation at the design stage. The opening roof will open over the areas sheltered from the prevailing wind.
Optimisation of heat recovery
The hygienic air renewal of all dry or low-humidity spaces will be provided by a dual-flow ventilation system with a flow rate controlled by a CO₂ sensor and high-efficiency heat recovery (efficiency > 74%).
The pool halls will be dehumidified by a mixed system using fresh-air modulation and a thermodynamic unit allowing triple heat recovery:
- The energy contained in the extracted air is transferred to the supply air, mostly through a high-efficiency heat exchanger (efficiency > 59%).
- The heat captured at the evaporator of the thermodynamic unit during the dehumidification process is fully reused to preheat the treated air, through a primary condenser.
- A secondary condenser makes it possible to use the surplus to heat the pool water, preheat the domestic hot water, heat the spaces, etc.
Optimisation of water management
The aim is to reduce water consumption from the current 185 litres to 105 litres per bather. This reduction also contributes to the overall primary-energy consumption goal for water that requires heating (DHW, pools).