After years of planning, Brussels' first permanent outdoor swimming pool is set to open in Anderlecht in 2030 on the Abattoir site in the Cureghem quarter.
A roughly 4,000 m² swimming complex (almost the size of Brussels' Grand Place) will be built on the roof of the Manufakture building and will include an outdoor pool, a 25 m indoor pool and a smaller instruction pool.
In four years, Brussels residents could enjoy long-awaited swimming facilities, as the capital is in dire need of places to refresh, particularly after a summer marked by heatwaves.
Brussels State Secretary for Urban Development Ans Persoons (Vooruit), who presented the project on Wednesday, stressed that outdoor swimming should be considered "basic urban infrastructure" and that, for now, many young people have to leave the capital to swim outdoors.
"Being able to cool down, being able to swim, cannot be a luxury or a privilege," she said on the day of the announcement.
The project is intended to serve schools; it also addresses a shortage of swimming facilities in one of Brussels' most densely populated areas.
The future operator will have to meet certain requirements such as accessibility and opening hours. It must also ensure the complex can be used by sports clubs, associations and the wider public.
Persoons also hopes the Abattoir pool will not remain Brussels' only outdoor swimming spot. Other projects are in the pipeline, she said, including plans that could allow people to swim at certain locations along the canal as early as next summer.
Private partner sought
Rather than simply constructing the pools, the selected consortium would finance the project and remain responsible for maintaining and operating the facility for the next 30 years.
The contract is expected to be awarded in 2028, followed by at least 18 months of construction. If the timetable is respected, swimmers could take their first dip in 2030.
After the 30-year operating period, the swimming complex would become the property of the Brussels Region.
Gilles Delforge, CEO of Society for Urban Development (MSI), the firm tasked by the regional government with setting up a DBFMO procedure giving a speech during the announcement, in company of Secretary of State Ans Persoons. Credit: The Brussels Times/ Anas El Baye.
The Manufakture building has already undergone work to prepare it for the pools. Its roof covers around 4,000 m². The Flemish Community Commission (VGC) has already provided funding to make sure the structure can support its weight.
Sustainability will also play a role in the project. The site already has a geothermal heating network, which could eventually heat the swimming pools without relying entirely on fossil fuels.
The site will be overlooking a stunning Brussels skyline. Credit: The Brussels Times/ Anas El Baye.
A new Cureghem
The swimming complex forms part of a wider revamp of the site, after the Brussels Government approved the main principles of a master plan for its future development.
One of the biggest changes will come along Quai de l'Industrie, where the existing car park is set to make way for a roughly 14,000 m² tree-lined esplanade for pedestrians and cyclists, connecting the site with SKY Z Park and turning it back towards the canal.
A second, roughly 6,000 m² pedestrian and cycling connection between Quai de l'Industrie and Chaussée de Mons is planned around Delacroix. Additionally, the Delacroix metro station is set to have a facelift.
The site's historic role in Brussels' food economy will remain paramount: around 19,000 m² of the site is earmarked for food-related production and commercial activities. Housing, hospitality businesses, public facilities, and other activities will also be gradually added.
Persoons explained the goal is to turn the area into a lively, mixed neighbourhood while maintaining its identity as part of the "belly of Brussels".
Credit: 1010 architecture urbanism - SAU-MSI.
The largely concrete site is also set to become greener, with the master plan looking at new public spaces, vegetation and ways of collecting rainwater.
Plans for a swimming pool at Abattoir have been discussed for years. A feasibility study was announced in 2021, and the Brussels Government backed the project the following year.
The launch of the procedure to find a private partner now moves the project closer to construction, but Brussels residents will still have to wait several years before they can take a dip while overlooking the capital's skyline.
Brussels State Secretary for Urban Development Ans Persoons speaks to the media from the roof of the Manufakture building at the Abattoir site in Anderlecht, overlooking the Brussels skyline, Wednesday 2 September 2026. Credit: Anas El Baye/The Brussels Times.
