BMWE – Innovation Competition: The City Swimming Pool of the Future (UrbanWave)

Innovation competition for energy-efficient innovative concepts in municipal indoor swimming pools in Germany.

The ‘The City Swimming Pool of the Future (UrbanWave)‘ innovation competition (Innovationswettbewerb UrbanWave – Stadtbad der Zukunft) is part of the 8th Energy Research Programme for Applied Energy Research (8. Energieforschungsprogramm zur angewandten Energieforschung) of Bundesministerium für Wirtschaft und Energie (BMWE – Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy). The innovation competition aims to encourage municipal indoor swimming pool operators to implement innovative concepts in collaboration with local research institutions and implementation partners. It covers the full spectrum of energy-efficient building modernisation – from improvements to the building envelope and complex technical systems in swimming facilities to solutions for efficient and resilient heat and power supply. The objective is to identify and overcome technological, organisational, and economic barriers.

The innovation competition is divided into three phases: spanning concept (DESIGN), implementation (BUILD), and operation (OPERATE). The DESIGN phase (12 months) supports up to ten microprojects (Mikroprojekte) that receive funding to develop modernisation concepts and prepare the BUILD (24 months) and OPERATE (24 months) phases. Selected modernisation concepts (up to five) will be then invited to submit an application for an R&D project for the BUILD/OPERATE phase.

The following requirements apply for indoor swimming pools:

• Pool area of 250-550 m².
• Fundamental need for energy-efficient modernisation.

Target values after modernisation:

• Specific heat demand per year: 1,200 kWh/m² pool water area.
• Specific electricity demand per year: 400 kWh/m² pool water area.
• Climate-neutral energy supply for operation.

Participants are expected to address the interplay between technology, economics, and society, navigating the tensions between these disciplines. The format is designed to create spaces for innovation and to encourage replication, thereby fostering confidence in forward-looking development and sustainable transformation.

BMWE has appointed the project management agency Projektträger Jülich (PtJ) to coordinate the programme on its behalf.