Reflection on the future of aquatic centers: challenges and management strategies - By Olivier Convert
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At the 32nd PDD conference in Chartres, we discussed aquatic public policy, urban planning, community swimming, local integration, swimming proficiency... and the shared desire to transform a model described as 'running out of steam' and seeking renewal.
To the question, "How can tomorrow's architecture, technical design, and urban planning support the transformation of uses and societal changes (sport, health, social connection, etc.) without increasing costs?", a few answers come to mind.
The challenge we face is not merely to resist the obsolescence of a predominant construction model, but to support its social evolution and the hybridizations that will, step by step, transform it.
Isn't the useful transformation at this stage to succeed, within the societal equation of 'Need for water and swimming,' in re-appropriating natural sites as one of the elements of the territorial aquatic puzzle?
Understand that not everything will necessarily be solved by built m2 of constructed water bodies.
Partially integrating, where the territory allows, permanent and structured access to developed natural swimming areas is to restore natural heritage to its rightful place and partially address the current limitations of managing built heritage:
- Land issues, cost (design and operation/maintenance), and ecological footprint for local authorities;
- The impossibility of responding, in a single location and at any time of day (soon, night), to the multiplicity of needs for aquatic activities;
- Peak demand in summer or during periods of climate disruption: the consequences of heatwaves cannot be solved solely by public swimming pools with IMFs at +1,000, while average attendance 'in normal times' caps at 400.
This last point reinforces my argument: from an educational and safety perspective, reconnecting with the different aspects of aquatic environments is a major priority to upgrade a transversal process for learning safe swimming in our country.
This also allows me to express my only point of disagreement here with the statements that link the public swimming pool stock (its condition, its evolution...) to the annual number of drownings.
Directly linking 'obsolescence of French swimming pools' to the increase in drownings in 2025 is a statistically unfounded shortcut given the locations of occurrence and the heatwave effect. The report's findings primarily highlight:
- Increased exposure to natural environments (sea/rivers/lakes), especially during extreme heat.
- The timing of natural site surveillance (start of season, staffing levels) and risky behaviors (alcohol, unfamiliarity with currents/rip currents, choice of undeveloped sites).
Please, let's stop implying that French swimming pools and the national swimming education format are obsolete or even deficient in terms of safety.
One only needs to have worked alongside the thousands of educators in the local sports sector, their counterparts and partners in the National Education system, and club coaches to be convinced of this.
One only needs to have thoroughly reviewed the results of the FFN's Savoir-Nager or Sauve-Nage programs, which allow hundreds of thousands of students to gauge their progress in their "aquatic journey" that is just beginning, to feel confident.
And for this journey to continue and be synonymous with safety and personal growth, what's missing is the opportunity we must offer them to try, progress, and develop safely in other aquatic environments.
Let me be clear, I am not announcing here, nor do I obviously wish for, the disappearance of swimming pools.
I would also like to commend our four speakers for proposing modernized models of the "1,000 pools" format. Their main purpose, as everyone mentioned in their introduction, is to primarily and efficiently address school swimming education and the 'savoir-nager' program.
Let's put this into practice: let's learn the basics in swimming pools and then build upon these foundational skills, diversifying aquatic experiences among the wide variety of natural swimming spots around us. There was a time when we could still talk about APPN…
In conclusion: the swimming pool is not obsolete; it continues to evolve. It remains the republican foundation for aquatic proficiency and sport-for-health. What's missing is a local ecosystem that connects swimming pools to developed and supervised natural swimming areas. That's the challenge we need to address. »
Olivier Convert
Aquatic Center Management Consultant
