Here we have a true landmark and another sad example of renovations gone wrong.
This is the municipal swimming pool in Tapiola, Espoo. Built in 1965, it was designed by nationally famous and well regared architect Aarne Ervi. In the early 2000’s it was closed down for a major restauration. As most of the structre was protected, it had to be renovated very carefully.
The pool opened again in 2005 after 9 million euro work, in which an annex was built. Since then it was problems, problems and problems. After years of fixing damage which had appeared since the restauration, the pool was closed down in 2016.
The problems really were massive. The poolside tiles were leaking, in fact the foundation of the building was leaking. Before they closed it down, they had to replace the dressing rooms and the air conditioning systems, but the problem was deeper. The alkali-aggregate reaction has compromised the concrete in the pool area and even the foundations.
The need for renovations is massive and way more expensive than building a new pool. When I took this photo, they were actually wondering, if it was possible to just demolish the entire building and build it all over again with similar looks. The decision was open.