Renovation and Extension of an Art Deco Swimming Pool

Bruay-La-Buissière, France

A Mirror Extension

Sports - Wellness

2026

Find out more

Status

Ongoing

Client

Communauté d'Agglomération Béthune Bruay Artois Lys Romane

Address

Bruay-La-Buissière, France

Date

2026

Area

3 300 m²

Program (Details)

Renovation of an Art Deco Outdoor Pool, Creation of an Indoor Pool with a 25 × 15 m Sports Pool, a 15 × 10 m Learning Pool, a Rooftop Solarium, and Changing Rooms

Credits

Mikoü

Project Team

Architect

Mikoü
Heritage Architect: Lagneau

Structure

VP GREEN

Fluids

TUAL

HQE

NOBATEK

Economy

BUREAU MICHEL FORGUE

Others

Acoustics: LASA
Landscape: ATELIER ROBERTA

Reimagined Heritage
Built in 1936, the Bruay-la-Buissière swimming pool was part of an ambitious municipal initiative to create a Stadium-Park where recreation, sports, and public health intersect. The design fully embraces the Art Deco style, blending monumental form, modern materials, and precise geometry.

Through its remarkable architecture and social significance, the complex, originally known as the “Swimming School” and designed by Paul Hanote, has been classified as a Historic Monument. It serves as a testament to an era when sports represented a promise of emancipation and well-being.
Originally built for the residents of the mining communities, the design combines influences of naval architecture—portholes, symmetry, and façades with a rhythmically organized structure and a purist aesthetic.

Reinventing the Art Deco Language

A new chapter unfolds today with the restoration of the historic swimming pool and the creation of a contemporary sports center, dedicated to swimming and wellness, complementing the listed facility. Instead of a break, we envisioned this extension as a natural layering, enriching the site with a sense of continuity. Our project draws from the Art Deco heritage to extend it, reinterpreting its foundational principles. A symmetrical layout, true to the balance sought in the era. A precise structural framework that organizes the space. Curved forms, echoing the ripples of water and the original façade design. Artisanal glass skylights, diffusing soft, changing light. Glass bricks on the façade, adding depth and translucency. Mosaic and wrought iron, reminiscent of the decorative motifs of the 1930s.

Working with Curves and Molding

The interaction between the two buildings is revealed through space and light. The pool hall, bathed in transparency, becomes a point of connection, offering a dialogue of perspectives between the past and the present. The circulation spaces flow seamlessly, connecting the outdoor solariums and creating a sensory and functional bond between the two volumes.
The extension, conceived as a reflection of the historic building, adopts its lines and language while asserting a distinct identity of its own. This is not a mere replication but rather an echo—a reinterpretation where each volume converses with the other, creating a new architectural language that is both respectful and audacious. In this way, the Bruay-la-Buissière swimming pool continues its existence, bridging the past and present without losing its essence, balancing memory with renewal.