Conceived as the partner of the new National Stadium and inspired by similar ideas, the new swimming center is shaped as an aquatic Yin, serene and feminine in contrast with the stimulating, masculine, and fiery Yang of the stadium designed by Herzog & de Meuron. With the structure as the predominant element to address all the constructive, spatial and image requirements, it is formed by a weightless tridimensional grid whose exact geometry, perfectly regular and defined, evokes the state of aggregation of water foam. The result is a parallelepiped of water, a ‘watercube’.

Two translucent skins made of ETFE membranes cover the exterior and interior part of the volume, allowing to collect solar energy and ensuring the performance of the building as an enormous greenhouse. To control the changing temperature and illumination needs, the interior skin can open up to let light in. To openly show that it is a squared and elementary aquatic city, the building shall be surrounded by a deep pit, and the only way to access it will be via bridges coinciding with the entrances to the different sports areas, separated by surfaces formed by identical molecular structure... [+]