Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The swimming pool in Firminy-Vert is part of the urban project Firminy Vert, designed between 1953 and 1971 by Eugène Claudius-Petit, Mayor of Firminy. This neighborhood, designed to offer modern facilities and a high quality of life, contrasted with Firminy Noir, marked by the mining and metallurgical industry. The 1965 mass plan, signed by Le Corbusier, provided for a swimming pool, a symbol of hygiene and collective well-being. The building was built by André Wogenscky, student of Le Corbusier, and inaugurated in 1971.

The building combines glass and concrete, with alternating vertical and horizontal lines typical of the corbusian style. The glazed facades recall the undulations of the glazings of the young house and the stadium designed by Le Corbusier. Inside, the hall plays on the contrasts between raw concrete, white surfaces and brightly coloured shrapnel, especially around the central light well. A fully glazed wall offers views of both basins, while showers, composed of vertical metal bands, and the geometric bar on the first floor reinforce functional aesthetics.

Listed in the Supplementary Inventory of Historic Monuments in 2005, the swimming pool was restored between 2004 and 2006 after a period of closure. Its architecture, combining transparency and geometric rigor, makes it a major testimony of modern French heritage. The property belongs to the town of Firminy, and the equipment remains an emblematic place of the neighborhood, combining sport, light and avant-garde design.

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