Brussels refuses costly Bains de Bruxelles renovation

The City of Brussels has decided not to carry out the proposed renovation of its municipal swimming pool in the heart of the Marolles district for the time being, as the current plans are too expensive.

According to first alderwoman for public heritage and sports Florence Frelinx (Mouvement Réformateur) the sharp increase in costs means the project will be reworked.

Frelinx said renovation of the Piscine du Centre, just off Place du Jeu de Balle, was initially budgeted at €6.5 million, based on a bid from a project developer. That amount was increased to €7.8 million excluding VAT during a preliminary design phase.

After adjustments to the original plans, there was a new public inquiry, with the city council planning to start the works in the autumn.

Anyone visiting these charismatic 1950s-dating baths, that allow you to see the Marolles district and church from its glass roof as you swim, will be able to carry on swimming for the time being, as the works necessitating normally at least a five-year closure are on hold.

The reason is the huge cost of the project, with Frelinx saying that the works would eventually cost nearly €16 million.

“We cannot afford such financial excesses, especially in the budgetary context that we have inherited,” she said in a statement.

The higher costs stem from “the choice of architecturally and technically complex choices,” she explained, notably the expansion of the boxing hall, widening of the corridors and creation of a two-level sports hall.

The swimming pool already has a complex split-level structure with a teaching pool on the second floor and the main one on the third.

Frelinx also blames her predecessor Benoit Hellings (Ecolo), who was responsible for climate and sport, for putting this “poorly drafted project on the back burner”. She said that the renovation plans will be reworked in a way that is “more focused on the essential functions”.

The Piscine du Centre was inaugurated in 1953 in a paquebot/steamship Art Deco/Modernist style. The architect Maurice Van Nieuwenhuyse’s main challenge was to create the two swimming pools on top of each other to save space.

The five-storey building was inspired by the Bains de la Sauvenière, at Liège. This Walloon icon has now been reincarnated as the Cité Miroir cultural centre and exhibition space.