Main Bad Bornheim | Germany
Vandaag, 00:00
Project: Main Bad Bornheim, Frankfurt // Germany
Architect: 4a Architekten GmbH, Stuttgart // Germany
Fabricator: BOBO Produktions- und Vertriebsgesellschaft mbH, Ohrdruf // Germany
Installer: B. Schlichter GmbH & Co. KG, Lathen // Germany
Façade system: Riveted/Screwed
Year of construction: 2025
Product: ALUCOBOND® PLUS Colorado Gold Metallic
Photos: David Matthiessen Fotografie
Perception and Impression
The very first thing which becomes visible when viewed from the high ground, perhaps from the paths and verdant parkland on the gentle hillside of the Bornheimer Hang, is the roof with its superstructures and indentations, its solar panels and a sparse covering of green and red plants. Behind it appears the Frankfurt Ice Rink, the only large-scale building in the immediate neighbourhood, with its skylights and an orange-red façade band which merges into the roof. Approximately twenty to thirty metres below the edge of the slope, the swimming and leisure pool building of the Main Bad Bornheim has recently been constructed on the same site as its predecessor, the former Panoramabad Bornheim. The old pool was technically outdated and in need of an overhaul after decades of use, but its concept of openness and providing panoramic views lives on. It has now been turned into a compact, three-level pool complex with a more or less triangular footprint and a rooftop location accessible to spa guests. This can also be seen from a distance as a fifth façade. Unsurprisingly, this level has been designed with just as much care as the interior spaces and the main façade. There is another welcoming relaxation room up here with an outdoor patio and sunloungers, offering yet another relaxing haven and the added extra of panoramic vistas. Using ALUCOBOND® PLUS Colorado Gold Metallic aluminium composite panels, gently rounded at the corners, the two rooftop structures have been successfully and coherently assimilated into the overall character. In stark contrast to the striking shimmering green-blue of the vertically aligned main façade, the rooftop buildings are more muted in colour and blend in better with their surroundings. For instance, they harmonise with the subtle orange-red of the neighbouring façade – also made of metal – or with the warm, earthy tones found in the bordering allotments, sports fields, and park areas.
A subtle dialogue between autonomy and integration is created in the midst of these different domains: urban space, sports facilities and open land. Added to this, there is also an extra level, a roofscape: both tangible and symbolically meaningful. Here, guests can consciously tune into their inner world, gaze meditatively into the distance, or simply enjoy the tranquillity.