Les Bains des Docks

Jean Nouvel's spectacular indoor pool complex in the regenerated docks

Les Bains des Docks is an indoor aquatic complex designed by the architect Jean Nouvel and opened in 2008 in the regenerated dock area of Le Havre. The building is a sequence of white-tiled cubes and pools of varying depths, including a competition-standard 50-metre pool, a leisure pool, and a wellness area with saunas and steam rooms. The architecture is part of the attraction: the interior feels somewhere between a Roman bath and a contemporary art installation.

The complex sits in the Quartier de l'Eure, the regenerated dock quarter south of the city centre, where several other significant buildings are clustered. A visit here fits naturally with a walk along the docks or a stop at the Scène Nationale theatre nearby. Open daily; book online at busy periods.

Address: Quai Colbert, 76600 Le Havre.

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A story
Jean Nouvel designed the Bains des Docks to reference Le Havre's port heritage: the pools are set inside what look like enormous white cargo containers, the architecture deliberately industrial in texture while the water is luminously clear. When it opened in 2008 it won immediate architectural prizes. Nouvel later said the project taught him that swimming is one of the most architectural of all human activities.

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