Berndorf Bäderbau ensures bathing fun on the Faroe Islands
Harsh weather conditions and a week-long strike: The Torshavn project was a tough one. But Berndorf Bäderbau made it work with solidarity and team spirit. As of autumn 2024, the Faroe Islands now have their own national swimming pool, suitable for both national and international competitions.
The Faroe Islands are an autonomous island group belonging to the Danish crown with around 55,000 inhabitants. It consists of 18 volcanic rocky islands between Iceland and Norway in the North Atlantic and is known for its harsh weather conditions. Their effects were also felt by the company Berndorf Bäderbau, which began planning a stainless-steel swimming pool in 2018.
Delivering the pool parts to the island by cargo ferry was already a logistically demanding task and required precise coordination and scheduling to ensure that all materials arrived on time and in perfect condition. Moreover, the complex registration of the assembly team posed an additional challenge due to specific work permit guidelines for non-Scandinavian countries. Thanks to her experience, Yasmin Löwenpapst from the internal assembly service managed to work out an optimal solution.
Further construction was complicated by extreme winter storms: “We had to deal with wind speeds of up to 230 kilometers per hour,” says Yasmin Löwenpapst. “They not only hindered the exterior work, but also damaged the newly built roof.” The team had to cope with delays and dependency on good weather. “Stop and go: That was challenging for all of us and could only be accomplished through great flexibility and team spirit,” Löwenpapst is convinced. Hence, everyone had to be on standby at all times, as travel preparations and bookings could often only be made at very short notice.
With the end of winter came the next challenge: strike. “Around 5,000 workers on the Faroe Islands went on strike from May to June 2024. The ports were closed, the gas stations and stores were empty, and the infrastructure came to a complete halt,” says Yasmin Löwenpapst. Once again, this meant waiting and rescheduling. “This, again, demonstrated the flexibility and helpfulness of everyone involved. We are proud of the effective communication and smooth cooperation between all departments.” It worked: The pools have been filled since autumn 2024, and the Faroe Islands have a great swimming facility.
Fun fact (soccer history):
Perhaps some Austrian soccer enthusiasts will take a little satisfaction from the fact that Austria contributed to the proper bathing opportunities now available to the inhabitants of the Faroe Islands. Because, for those who can no longer remember: On September 12th, 1990, Austria’s national team suffered an embarrassment beyond compare during qualification for the European Championship. They lost 1:0 to the Faroe Islands – an absolute soccer newcomer, a team made up of fishermen and workers and an indomitable forklift driver as goalkeeper, whose pointed cap was shot off his head by Toni Polster several times without him scoring a single goal.
The project’s key data:
Project start: July 2019
Assembly start: August 2023
Completion: Autumn 2024
Sales: Gerold Wimmer, GB International
Project leader: Robert Krehan
Assemblymen: Petr Klement (foreman), Istvan Molnar, Mark Harris, Robert Ferencz, Peter Lazar, Hannu Grusbacka
Location: Gundadali Swimming Hall, 100 Torshavn, Faroe Islands
Swimming pools:
50 x 20 m swimming pool with movable bridge - indoor
Beginner’s pool - indoor
Hot whirlpool - indoor
Relaxing pool - outdoor
Cold pool - outdoor
Yasmin Löwenpapst …
… has been with Berndorf Bäderbau since 2017. She runs the internal assembly service. This means that almost all projects pass through her hands at some point. This year alone, she has supervised countless international swimming pool construction projects, from England and Finland to Latvia to the Faroe Islands.
“In assembly we weld together, not only metal but people as well!”