Pöyry’s ‘Allmendli’ indoor swimming pool awarded ‘2016 Building of the Year’ by ‘Swiss Architects’

Pöyry’s ‘Allmendli’ indoor swimming pool awarded ‘2016 Building of the Year’ by ‘Swiss Architects’

The stunning new ‘Allmendli’ indoor swimming pool, which is situated in Erlenbach on Lake Zurich’s gold coast, Switzerland, has been awarded ‘2016 Building of the Year’ by ‘Swiss Architects’ – one of the best-known internet platforms in the architectural sector. Pöyry was responsible for the general planning assignment, working with partners, illiz architektur, to solve a remarkable design challenge: how to suspend a 359,000 litre swimming pool and enable its young visitors to learn to swim whilst soaking up the fabulous views.

HELSINKI, 08-Feb-2017 — /EuropaWire/ — Learning to swim is a necessary life skill for every child, however, the children of the Erlenbach lakeside community in Zurich had not been able to enjoy the pleasure of an indoor swimming pool for some years. A disused military shelter located on their school campus and which had become lost to an overgrown hill offered a glimmer of fresh hope to the determined community. In 2012, a tender was released to find the best general planning team for an unusual swimming pool project, which could be trendsetting for sustainable architecture.

‘When we first heard about the challenge to accommodate all areas of the pool in the underground shelter, we knew that a very different approach was needed’, says Tom Hӓrtling, General Planner, at Pöyry. ‘Together, with our partners, illiz architektur, we stayed open minded to all possibilities and used our imagination to come up with the idea of suspending the pool. Instead of excavating under the former billet to accommodate the enormous volume of water (359’000 litress), we proposed suspending the pool above the existing cubature of the underground space. This alternative approach kept the surface of the water level with the surrounding terrain, whilst maintaining the panaoramic views over Lake Zurich’.

‘I am proud that Pöyry has been recognised with this prestigious award,’ says Marcel Winter, Managing Director of Pöyry’s Switzerland business. ‘Our talented experts thrive on solving clients’ challenges such as the Allmendi swimming pool. Such projects also give our people the opportunity to apply their in-depth knowledge to the improve quality of life of their communities whilst making a lasting contribution to society and the world around us.’

Additional information:

Tom Hӓrtling
General Planner
Pöyry Schweiz AG
Tel: +41 76 356 2074

Marcel Winter
Managing Director
Pöyry Schweiz AG
Tel: +41 76 356 2044

Rebecca Bleasdale
Head of Communications
Pöyry PLC
Tel: +41 78 643 2613

Did you know? Pöyry has designed many manmade wonders including the 57km Gottard tunnel – the longest rail tunnel in the world…

About Pöyry
Pöyry is an international consulting and engineering company. We serve clients globally across the energy and industrial sectors and provide local services in our core markets. We deliver management consulting and engineering services, underpinned by strong project implementation capability and expertise. Our focus sectors are power generation, transmission & distribution, forest industry, chemicals & biorefining, mining & metals, transportation and water. Pöyry has an extensive local office network employing about 6,000 experts. Pöyry’s net sales in 2015 were EUR 575 million and the company’s shares are quoted on Nasdaq Helsinki (Pöyry PLC: POY1V).

www.poyry.com