NV Abattoir – Baukunst
Brussels government OKs first outdoor swimming pool
The Brussels government has approved
proposals for the construction of an indoor and outdoor swimming pool on the
roof of the Manufakture Building on the site of Anderlecht Abattoir. The Flemish
government too will contribute 3.4 million towards the cost.
“It’s a wonderful Christmas present for all
the people of Brussels”. This is how
Pascal Smet, the Brussels urban planning state secretary, welcomed the news that at long last Brussels was to
get an outdoor swimming pool of its own.
Hopes for a swimming pool on the site of the
Anderlecht Abattoir have been around for a while.
Last year the Brussels government commissioned a feasibility study to
examine the best way of creating a swimming pool on the roof of the Manufakture
Building. In February 2022 the government also issued a building licence for the
Manufakture approving investment grants of 2.1 million euros to strengthen the
structure of the warehouse in order to allow the building of an open-air
swimming pool on the roof.
The Brussels Urban Building Company will
now look at how the project can be realised and examine how the swimming pool
could be run.
The space is already being used by food
producing and processing companies. They
use a lot of refrigeration that releases heat.
It’s heat that will be used to create a pleasant water temperature the
office of Brussels urban planning secretary Smet explains.
The swimming pool project is set to cost 20.2
million euros. In addition to the
Flemish government cash, the Flemish community commission in Brussels, the
municipality of Anderlecht and the European Fund for Regional Development are
among the authorities expected to help foot the bill.
State secretary Smet believes the pool is
the start of a larger story and is also releasing cash for Pool is Cool, an
organisation that promotes outdoor swimming in the Flemish and Belgian capital.
Construction of the pool should be complete
by 2025 or 2026.
