Public swimming pools are more than just concrete and water. Often, they are the heart of a community, a place to exercise, to meet people and connect. Paralympic gold medallist Ellie Simmonds explores what it takes to design and build a swimming pool, and asks why they are so important in a post-pandemic era.

We join award-winning Dutch architects VenhoevenCS as they sign off their biggest project to date - the aquatic centre for Paris 2024 - and begin planning and designing a brand-new public pool. Their lead architects will talk us through their plans for the new pool, looking at sustainability, accessibility and safety. We’ll visit the site of the build and the offices, to eavesdrop on their planning meetings.

We’ll also hear from British architect, author and swimming advocate Chris Romer Lee about the importance of public pools, and why he thinks more of us should be getting into the water.

A Spiritland production

Image: Ellie Simmonds (Credit: Anthony Devlin/Getty Images for the National Lottery) and the Hofbad swimming pool in Den Haag, the Netherlands, designed by VenhoevenCS Show less