Influential Dutch studio MVRDV has been chosen to radically renovate a disused church. The former place of worship is being transformed into a public swimming pool, complete with a movable floor that lets visitors "walk on water."
With tongue firmly in cheek, MVRDV has named the project Holy Water, and it's being created in collaboration with Zecc Architecten. It will remake the 100-year-old St. Francis of Assisi Church in Heerlen, the Netherlands, which has been out of use since 2023.
It's an ambitious undertaking and will involve removing the existing floor to make way for the pool. The pews will be reused by incorporating them into both seating for swimmers and bar tables for spectators. The old pulpit, meanwhile, will be a seat for a lifeguard. As mentioned, an adjustable floor will also be installed. This will allow the pool to be used as an events space.
"An adjustable swimming pool floor brings flexibility to the space that was once the church's nave, allowing it to host a variety of activities in addition to swimming," explains MVRDV. "The floor also makes it possible to fill the entire space with a thin layer of water, creating an impressive reflection of the church that gives visitors the feeling that they can walk on water."
A new mosaic floor will adorn both the pool surroundings and the adjustable pool floor, nodding to the stained-glass windows that will remain, while new lighting will be added that is sympathetic to the original church design. The renders also depict the organ pipes and religious paintings being left in situ, which is a nice touch.
One major challenge is how to protect the old wood and stained glass, etc, from the humidity. To solve this, MVRDV and Zecc Architecten are adding glass walls around the pool, enclosing it. The roof of the church will be insulated too, to improve its overall thermal performance.
The project is expected to be completed in 2027 and involves other collaborators IMd Raadgevende Ingenieurs, Nelissen Ingenieursbureau and SkaaL. MVRDV seems to have a genuine passion for this sort of adaptive reuse project and others it has designed include the Tainan Spring and Pyramid of Tirana.
Source: MVRDV