Bathing Pavilion Tossols-Basil
Carrer Sant Narcís, 40, 17800 Olot, Girona, Spain
RCR ARQUITECTES (1995-98)
This is a beautiful gem of a building, set in a clearing at the edge of the trees beside a river.
You will need to drive down a road that looks like it might be a driveway, constructed of precast concrete panels with large rough aggregate, and typical RCR Arquitectes-type edge detail.
There you will find this public Bathing Pavilion that completely fits the setting.
A pavilion containing change rooms, showers, toilets and café/bar, designed as a carefully considered exploration of site, architectural form and language.
Simple, elegant, refined, rugged, rigorous – a poetic and beautiful experience.
If you take the idea of a floating Miesian pavilion, bend it to follow the shape of the river, construct it from polished stainless steel + corroding steel walls, concrete flooring and zinc roof, then this is what you might end up with. The building is resilient, yet also weathers and blends into its surroundings.
If you contact Les Cols Restaurant, another RCR project in Olot, you can book ‘a picnic bag and blankets to enjoy the nature by the riverside’. This Les Cols link also contains a video that might give an impression of what it is like to use the pavilion.
RCR Arquitecte’s description:
The river flows, accompanied by the bank and the joining streams
Flowing from the grove of plane trees, accompanying from the bank
And entering from the hillside are the motifs that decide
The pavilion’s raison d’etre. An intrinsic desire that can be nothing else:
Proportion – the congruent materialisation of an idea.
IMAGES
FURTHER INFORMATION:
Place: Bathing Pavilion Tossols-Basil
Architect: rcr arquitectes or World Architects Profile
Photographer: Stephen Varady
Review: A+U #549 and Arquitectura Viva Monograph and Divisare
Map: Bathing Pavilion Tossols-Basil Map
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Hi Steven,
I’m thinking about visiting Olot in the near future and doing a photographic exploration of some of RCR’s projects there. This is one of the buildings I’m keen on visiting.
It’s really useful to see some pictures that were taken very recently. But they leave me worried that the pavilion might no longer be used according to its original function. Those table fill me with a cold sense of dread. Were the cubicle doors all locked? I’m concerned that Les Cols might have turned then into store cupboards. The accompanying chairs must be somewhere.
Thanks in advance for your help.
Regards,
Nick
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Hi Nick, I was there on a Sunday of a public holiday weekend in June 2017 so maybe that’s why there were no people there. I wouldn’t let that stop you. The building is still in good condition and appears to be well maintained. I suggest you contact Les Cols as I mentioned in my explanation. Since they use it for functions they may be able to enlighten you about its current use. sv
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stunning project!
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Thanks Peter. And it’s still in fantastic condition after 20 years!
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