Architect: Sergei Tchoban, Tchoban Voss Architekten
Project partner: Karsten Waldschmidt
Project leader: Jan Frechen
Team: Guido Kall, Jan Lisner, Stefan Petro, René Hoch, Azzurra Pippia

The competition winning design of the public baths of Nauen, a town 30 km west of Berlin, has been completed after one year of construction period. Located on a 2.6 hectare plot in the south-east of the historical town centre the new leisure and meeting place means much more to the town than just a replacement: it provides the community with a café, a wellness-centre and a neighborhood management and will from now on be open throughout the year.

The organic shape of the both one storey-volumes as well as the colour range of the façades blend in optimally with the landscape design. While combining and emphasizing the buildings the distinctive curved roof parapet line creates a gate for the entrance area to the baths. Prefabricated wooden frames with double glazing and insulated wooden panels are forming the supporting structure and the façades at once. The roof construction is made of glued laminated timber.

The buildings have many different functions: a café with a multifunctional space, an information centre and a new wellness area are located in the southern part. The northern part includes bathing area: cash desk area, changing rooms, rooms for visitors, for the pool attendant and the staff as well as storage area. All zones can be entered separately from the forecourt, so the guests do not necessarily have to enter the baths in order to have a lunch in the restaurant. The organization of the zones in the kidney-shaped pavilions is strictly orthogonal which allowed generous spaces to the outer area by locating secondary rooms in the core zone.