In the Netherlands, the St. Francis of Assisi Church is set to get an upgrade. In the spirit of community and fostering social spaces, Dutch studios MVRDV and Zecc Architects have shared plans to rehabilitate a vacant church, giving it a whole new schtick.
“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,” MVRDV founding partner Winy Maas shares in a statement to Dezeen. “Why not give these churches a social function again, as they used to have? A public swimming pool is ideally suited for this.”
Yes, you heard that right: a swimming pool. In the church. More specifically, the nave. The architects plan to remove the original floor and install a swimming pool where the church pews used to sit.
In perhaps the best walk-on-water joke, the pool will also feature an adjustable pool floor — able to fill the entire space with a thin layer of water — to give the space more flexibility for events and make visitors feel like they’re walking on…well, you know the rest.
“By covering the entire pool area with a small layer of water, you can create
a beautiful visual effect, allowing the church to return to its original form and appear even larger and more impressive through the reflection,” Maas continues.
The arched ceilings will remain, as well as the original stained-glass windows. Church pews will be reused as seating around the pool, and the pulpit will become the lifeguard seat.
Along with the swimming pool, a café, several changing rooms, and a number of other amenities will be available for the public to enjoy. The architects envision the building as more than just a place to swim — it will also serve as a community hub. Thanks to an innovative adjustable floor that can be raised to cover the pool entirely, the main hall can transform into a flexible space for other events, too.
Instead of tearing down the nearly 100-year-old church, these architecture studios have found a way to bring it into the present day and give it new life.
“Just imagine it,” Maas says. “Swimming the backstroke with a view of a church vault and stained-glass windows.”
This article first appeared in the October 2025 issue of AQUA Magazine — the top resource for retailers, builders and service pros in the pool and spa industry. Subscriptions to the print magazine are free to all industry professionals. Click here to subscribe.
