With the AQUABOX, 4a Architekten has translated its many years of expertise in swimming pool construction into a circular wood-based modular system. On September 9, 2026, Ernst Ulrich Tillmanns, managing partner of 4a Architekten, will present the project at the DBZ Modular Construction Congress in Bochum. His presentation will provide insights into the development, planning, and construction of the indoor swimming pool in Stuttgart-Zuffenhausen—from serial prefabrication and the precise interplay of architecture, structural framework, and pool technology to its consistent design for dismantling.

Forty-six wooden modules, together with supplementary structural components, form the two-story pool, which was constructed in about eight months. Shortly after the congress, the AQUABOX will open in mid-September. Later, it will be dismantled and moved first to Möhringen and finally to its permanent location in Untertürkheim. The project thus demonstrates how the challenging task of building an indoor swimming pool can be transformed into a flexible, multi-purpose building system.

The concept was developed by POOL out of the BOX, which is responsible for its implementation as the general contractor. The interdisciplinary planning team includes 4a Architekten, the timber construction company Blumer Lehmann, Kannewischer Ingenieure, ZELLER Bäderbau und Wassertechnik Wertheim.

The 5th DBZ Modular Construction Congress will take place on September 8 and 9, 2026, at the Blue Box on the Bochum University of Applied Sciences campus. The presentation on AQUABOX is scheduled for 12:00 p.m. on the second day of the congress.

More information
AQUABOX Stuttgart-Zuffenhausen: Project, Planning, and Construction of the Relocatable Indoor Swimming Pool
DBZ Modular Construction Congress 2026: Program, Venue, and Registration