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Bettesworth Construction
adaptive reuse

MVRDV’s “Holy Water” Project Will Turn a Dutch Church into a Swimming Pool

Holy Water is MVRDV and Zecc Architecten’s design for a public pool in a former church in Heerlen. The project remains in design, with a first dive expected at the end of 2027.

By Bettesworth Construction Team 3 min read
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MVRDV and Zecc Architecten have designed a public swimming pool inside the former St. Francis of Assisi Church in Heerlen, the Netherlands. Called “Holy Water,” the project is still in design: MVRDV expects the first dive at the end of 2027, but that is not a confirmed public opening date.

What is the Holy Water project?

Holy Water is a proposed adaptive-reuse project for a listed national monument. The church stopped hosting services in 2023, and the city plans to give the vacant building a new public and social use. MVRDV says the pool is also intended to respond to rising visitor numbers at Heerlen’s existing pools.

MVRDV lists the project area as 1,270 m², with Gemeente Heerlen as the client. Its programme categories include bar-restaurant, sports, wellness, and interior. The project is part of wider city-centre development alongside a Roman museum and renovation of the Royal-Rivoli cinema.

How is the church planned to work as a pool?

The design places a climate-controlled pool in the central nave, enclosed by glass partitions. Visitors would pass through the church aisles to reach changing rooms and catering at the rear. The existing floor is to be carefully removed to make room for the pool.

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One pool space, several planned uses

An adjustable floor is intended to vary the pool’s depth for swimming. Raised fully, it would cover the water beneath a flat surface so the nave could host social or cultural events. A shallow layer of water across the pool area is another proposed mode: it would reflect the church interior and create the impression of walking on water.

Lighting and finishes draw on the church and city

A proposed mosaic floor would take inspiration from the church’s colors and stained glass, and would be developed with local artists in reference to Heerlen’s murals. Four rows of lights inspired by historic church lamps would also serve as lane guides.

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What happens to the church’s historic features?

The design gives some existing elements new roles. Church pews are planned for reuse in glass partitions as seating and bar tables, while the pulpit is intended to become a lifeguard seat. These are design proposals, not confirmation that the work has been completed.

The timber roof is to be retained and fitted with sound-absorbing panels. MVRDV says it plans to insulate the roof from the outside and replace the existing roof covering afterward. Air-handling units are planned for discreet placement in the basement.

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How does the design address conservation and pool conditions?

A swimming pool needs a controlled indoor environment, while the church is a protected historic building. The proposed glass walls would separate the conditioned pool space from church elements, and the roof insulation and basement air-handling equipment form part of the announced climate strategy. These measures describe design intent; published project materials do not report measured energy use, operating performance, or conservation results.

The entry canopy is described as an illuminated circle. Together with the glass enclosure, it marks a new visitor route and separates pool activity from the surrounding church interior without treating the entire nave as a conventional pool hall.

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When will Holy Water open?

MVRDV’s project page lists the status as “Design” and gives 2025–2026 as the project year; that period is not a construction-completion date. In its 2025 announcement, MVRDV said the first dive is expected at the end of 2027. No exact public opening date has been confirmed.

The project team named by MVRDV includes Zecc Architecten as co-architect, IMd Raadgevende Ingenieurs for structural engineering, Nelissen Ingenieursbureau for building physics, and SkaaL for construction economics. MVRDV lists founding partner Winy Maas as partner in charge.

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What is not yet specified?

The published project information does not state a construction budget, pool operator, pool capacity, attendance forecast, ticketing details, or measured energy and conservation performance. The 1,270 m² figure is the project surface listed by MVRDV; it should not be read as a pool-capacity figure.

MVRDV founding partner Winy Maas described the project’s social rationale: “The vacancy rate of churches is increasing, so we need to come up with new, creative ideas for what we can do with these buildings”. He added: “Why not give these churches a social function again, as they used to have? A public swimming pool is ideally suited for this.” These remarks express the project team’s motivation, rather than a quantified finding about church vacancy.

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