00 Preamble

The Koordinierungskreis Bäder (KOK) is made up of three experts in the field of pool construction, pool technology and pool operation from each of the associations Deutsche Gesellschaft für das Badewesen e. V. (DGfdB), Deutscher Schwimm-Verband e. V. (DSV) and Deutscher Olympischer Sportbund e. V. (DOSB).

The "KOK Guidelines for Pool Design" and their predecessors have been the basis for proper pool planning for almost seven decades. Design that delivers a functioning pool that meets the needs of different target groups: the needs of visitors seeking exercise, relaxation, games and fun, of schools that fulfil their educational mission and of swimming clubs that make an important contribution to maintaining health and social cohesion in society.

The 6th edition of the "KOK Guidelines for Pool Design" remains committed to this standard and will continue to be the standard guide for planners, contractors and swimming pool operators. 

Warm water, warm air and aesthetic lighting require a lot of energy, which should no longer be of fossil origin in the foreseeable future. The topic of sustainability is very close to climate protection, as resource conservation and CO₂ emissions extend over the entire life cycle of a swimming pool. This is why technical developments, such as the digitalisation of the planning process, but also aspects of environmental protection and, last but not least, climate change, are important focal points of this edition.

But something has also changed for an important user group, namely people with a wide variety of impairments. Accessibility is no longer just about people who use a wheelchair or have impaired vision, it is also about pregnant women and people with limited mobility and it is going as well about moving around without fear. Freedom from discrimination no longer means segregation in separate "disabled changing rooms", but integration into the normal functional processes of swimming pool use.

Swimming Pools have been planned digitally, including in 3D, for decades. There has been rapid development in this area in the recent years. This edition now describes an almost complete digital planning process, from the digital room book to Building Information Modelling (BIM) and the transfer to Computer Aided Facility Management (CAFM).

Outdoor pools with biological water treatment have now become an integral part of the pool landscape. The regulations for these pools were previously published by the Forschungsgesellschaft Landschaftsentwicklung Landschaftsbau e. V. (FLL). In spring 2022, the FLL handed over the further development of the regulations to the Deutsche Gesellschaft für das Badewesen e. V. The structural requirements for these pools are now described in the new version of the KOK guidelines for pool construction; water treatment will be briefly addressed here and regulated in a future DGfdB guideline.

The guidelines for pool construction are the result of many years of continuous work by the Koordinierungskreises Bäder and have always been used in pool planning and construction as a generally accepted rule of technology. They apply in addition to legal and administrative regulations of the federal and state governments in laws, ordinances and decrees as well as other guidelines and standards.

Essen, Kassel, Frankfurt am Main in October 2022

The representatives of the three associations in the Koordinierungskreises Bäder