parasitic intervention by nuno pimenta settles within abandoned cooling pool in estonia

the temporary installation generates a peculiar place for enjoyment and relaxation by the murky waters of the pool.

Nuno Pimenta edited by myrto katsikopoulou September 23, 2021 3 min

temporary pool intervention by nuno pimenta

portugal-based design studio nuno pimenta has created ‘the pool club’, a four-day parasitic intervention situated within a 40-year-old abandoned cooling pool in the center of tartu, estonia. the installation takes advantage of the unique characteristics of the pre-existing structure to generate a temporary public infrastructure in an otherwise abandoned and unreachable urban space. the resulting environment creates an intriguing fictional scenario: a peculiar place for enjoyment and relaxation by the murky waters of the pool.

nuno pimenta creates a parasite pool club in an abandoned cooling pool in tartu city center 1 — ‘the pool club’ temporary intervention in tartu, estonia

all images courtesy of nuno pimenta

reinterpeting the enigmatic pool of tartu

the strange pool right next to the old physics building of the university of tartu was built in 1980 and was designed to cool down some kind of mysterious system or mechanism that was never implemented. after all these years, this concrete structure remains there useless, intact, and expectant as an enigmatic dark pit in one of the finest areas of the city of tartu.

‘the pool club’ by nuno pimenta (find more here) takes advantage of the existing structure and its odd character, interpreting it in different ways: some will see it as a utopian idea, whereas some may call it a dystopian vision. above all, the installation raises awareness and stimulates a speculative discourse about the possible outcomes of this forgotten place.

nuno pimenta creates a parasite pool club in an abandoned cooling pool in tartu city center 3 — the installation takes advantage of the unique characteristics of the pre-existing structure

made with recycled and reusable materials

‘the pool club’ was created in the context of the urban festival UIT installation program that took place from 18 to 21 august 2021 in tartu, estonia. since it was meant to be displayed for four days only, the structure uses recycled, reusable and borrowed materials. for instance, the scaffolding was rented for the duration of the festival and was afterwards returned to its normal usage. the intervention has been awarded with the creative mobility grant for architecture by iportunus / goëthe institute belgium.

nuno pimenta creates a parasite pool club in an abandoned cooling pool in tartu city center 8 — the scaffolding was rented for the duration of the festival and was afterwards returned to its normal usage

nuno pimenta creates a parasite pool club in an abandoned cooling pool in tartu city center 7 — the intervention was available for four days only

project info:

name: the pool club
designer: nuno pimenta

event: urban parasites
dates: 18-21 august 2021

curated by: kadri lind and marie kliiman

production: urban festival UIT

designboom has received this project from our ‘DIY submissions‘ feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.