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Nicolas Gosselin
Published on
Oct 13, 2024 at 8:50 p.m.
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It is a vestige of our architectural heritage. In Cestas, the Sunflower pool is there last of its kind in Gironde*. In this year 2024, she celebrates her 45th birthday. “And we intend to make it last as long as possible,” insists Mayor Pierre Ducout.
This model was designed by Bernard Schoeller, winner of a competition for the construction of industrialized swimming pools as part of the “1000 swimming pools” plan initiated in 1969 under the presidency of Georges Pompidou.
At the time, the government wanted to encourage learning to swim following the very poor results of French swimmers during the 1968 Olympics and two accidents that occurred during the summer of 1969 (drowning in the Loire of 19 children from a recreational center and drowning of 24 people in the sinking of a pleasure boat on Lake Geneva).
“Indispensable” for 45 years
Thus, numerous Tournesol swimming pools flourished in France in the 1970s, reaching 183 in total. These swimming pools were distinguished by their circular shape, equipped with a polyester dome reinforced with fiberglass, capable of opening to let in the sun, hence their name.
“Economically, serial construction made it possible to reduce costs considerably. The prefabrication system and standardization of models facilitated rapid implementation in many municipalities with limited budgets, a major advantage in times of demographic growth and revitalization of the suburbs,” explains Héloïse Testard, founder and manager of the Testard agency. Architect in Bordeaux.
A swimming pool mainly financed by the State
This was precisely the case of Cestas. When the municipal council approved the construction of the swimming pool in 1977 and financing of 1.5 million francs – the State subsidized a large part of the project – the population had doubled in ten years.
In the deliberation, the mayor also stipulated that it “was not not a luxurybut that it was essential. And since then, the population has increased again and almost tripled to reach 17,000 inhabitants.
“We had a big housing program at that time,” recalls Pierre Ducout, who has been mayor since 1972. “It was a period of strong expansion, we welcomed a lot of families with children and we obtained the opening of a college in 1976. Moreover, the swimming pool mainly met the needs of schoolchildren. »
Intended primarily for schools
Currently, the Cestas swimming pool still responds as a priority to the needs of schools, including the neighboring towns of Canéjan or Saint-Jean d’Illac, as well as to the town’s associations, such as the diving, aquagym or swimming with fins.
“It is a swimming pool on a human scale but it responds less and less to the leisure demands of users,” notes the mayor. Indeed, the Tournesol swimming pool is quite rustic with its 25 meter long by 10 meter wide pool, its rudimentary changing rooms and its not very relaxing acoustics.
At one point, the elected official campaigned at the cantonal level for the construction of an aquatic center but according to him, the town hall of Gradignan was not ready to put its hand in its pocket so the project fell through.
Those of Lesparre and Saint-Médard-en-Jalles were razed
In Lesparre-Médoc, for example, the Tournesol swimming pool was shaved in 2016 and an intercommunal aquatic center was built and opened in 2023. In addition to the swimming pool, there is a leisure pool and a wellness area with hammam.
For the mayor of the town, this decision was obvious. “The renovation of the Tournesol swimming pool would have cost more than three million euros and with old, you can’t make new. Furthermore, we were not doing any expansion. »
“But it quickly became obvious. Today, our fellow citizens expect aquatic centers with a swimming pool and play areas; and not just a place to swim,” he continues.
Energy strainers
Furthermore, the Médoc elected official underlines that the Tournesol swimming pool was becoming expensive both to maintain, with “portholes that were falling”, and to operate with the rise in energy prices. ” It was an energy sieve »points out Bernard Guiraud.
For this same reason, the Tournesol swimming pool in Saint-Médard-en-Jalles in 2007 to build a new aquatic area instead. “These swimming pools, initially considered efficient, have become obsolete in the face of current standards of insulation and energy consumption,” agrees architect Héloïse Testard.
Additionally, expectations regarding architecture and comfort have changed. Users and communities are now looking for larger, more versatile facilities adapted to the specific needs of each city, which contrasts with the standardized model of Tournesol swimming pools.
In Braud-et-Saint-Louis, where the department’s fourth Tournesol swimming pool was located, the sports equipment is closed to the public since October 2023. The municipality has decided to rehabilitate rather than raze but the swimming pool will no longer have much to do with the original constructions of Bernard Schoeller.
A Tournesol 2.0 swimming pool in Braud-et-Saint-Louis
Indeed, if the retractable dome is retained, its cover will be replaced as well as its old portholes in favor of zenithal openings and glazed bays. Above all, inside, it will be emptied of technical and administrative premises and changing rooms, which will be installed in an extension.
Thus, a spa pool, a learning pool and a wellness area could be created next to the 25-meter pool while outside, a Nordic pool heated all year round will be built. Finally, the project, which must be delivered in 2025, provides for geothermal energy, photovoltaic panels and natural ventilation.
“Energy standards have changed drastically compared to the 1970s. Current swimming pools must meet RT 2020 standards or positive energy building criteria, which involves more efficient insulation materials and better consumption management,” recalls Héloïse Testard.
To keep up with the times, Tournesol swimming pools should integrate modern systems such as solar panels, heat pumps, or even energy recovery devices to ensure eco-responsible operation.
This is the feat that the commune of Braud-et-Saint-Louis is about to achieve, which benefits from large tax revenues thanks to the presence of the Blayais nuclear power plant on its territory, but it is not not within the reach of all budgets.
“The majority of Tournesol swimming pools are doomed to disappear”
Indeed, the swimming pool renovation-extension project, entrusted to the Moon Safari architectural agency, amounts to more than 12 million eurosincluding at least 10 million borne by the municipality.
“The majority of Tournesol swimming pools are doomed to disappear,” thinks Héloïse Testard. It would cost more to rehabilitate them than to demolish them and rebuild passive swimming pools on an identical basis in their use, with biosourced materials. » Of the 183 that were built, a large part has already been razed or transformed, into a dojo for example in Loos (North).
For the moment, Cestas town hall is resisting. Even if maintaining the structure remains costly in the long term. Every year, the municipality undertakes work: sometimes to replace the aerator or portholes, sometimes to waterproof the pool, or to build modular changing rooms outside the dome. Recently, it had to be closed from 1is September to October 6, 2024, for example.
But the investment is worth it, according to elected officials. “This work keeps the equipment in good condition. It is widely used, says Pierre Chibrac, the deputy mayor in charge of sports. And the Cestadais are proud of their swimming pool. When the dome is open in the summer, with the beach outside, it’s splendid! There is no question of demolishing it. »
*The Braud-et-Saint-Louis sunflower swimming pool has not been razed but will be completely transformed by the Moon Safari agency, in charge of this renovation and extension project.
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