With an excavation depth of over four metres incorporating a full underground bunker-style plant room and storage area, to free up space upstairs, this complex leisure project by Rio Pools was no mean feat and described by Rio as a âmonsterâ of a pool.
âWhen embarking on this pool design for a client in Wiltshire, we really had to get our thinking caps on,â explains Shelley Willcox of Rio Pools.
Shelley adds: âThe icing on the cake is a cool and manicured South facing terrace neatly and ingeniously enclosed by a 7m long hydraulic screen, offering a perfect shelter from all conditions the UK climate can throw at it.â
The brief was to provide an indoor leisure facility that would suit an active family. Each family member had their own wish list:
⢠A deep pool for older family members
⢠A shallow pool for younger family members
⢠A counter-current swim jet for the fitness enthusiasts
⢠Area in the pool hall for playing badminton All this was to be wrapped up in a fun, hi-tech building with minimalist controls.
In collaboration with Stonewood Architects, main contractors Stonewood Builders and the clientsâ project management company Willow UK, the sum of Rio Pools endeavours resulted in a contemporary marble-clad monster of a pool. Located in an area of high water-table, the mammoth task of excavating 1,600 tonnes of earth and building a reinforced steel, triple waterproofed building capable of withstanding flood conditions commenced.
Almost 12 months later the facility was commissioned, complete with hydraulic moving pool floor allowing variable swimming depths and the ability to play badminton. Self-depositing pool steps were included along with a twin nozzle counter-current swim jet and colour-change LED lights. The project also features an air-conditioned gym, steam room with starry night ceiling and a deluge shower with switchable privacy glass. It is heated with an air source heat pump and controlled by two touch screen panels. One screen provides operation for lights, pool heating, hydraulic floors and doors, the other for audio.
Rio Pools
Tel. 01453 521101
www.riopools.co.uk