The popularity of swimming pools can be very seasonal, with people wanting to be outside when the weather is hot and sunny, but inside when it's cold and wet. To combat this, Dutch holiday park Eiland van Maurik has had a pool built that can be both indoors and outdoors.
The 1,000-sq m (10,800-sq ft) facility has been designed by daylight-structure firm Bright Buildings, which is also tasked with constructing it. With the exception of an aluminum frame, the building will be entirely transparent, so as to to allow plenty of natural light in.
To bring the outdoors in, the pool will have a motor-operated retractable roof, that will be operable at the push of a button. Eiland van Maurik has the option of upgrading the system at a later date to be controlled automatically via a climate computer, which would use sensors to monitor temperature, wind speed and rainfall so as to open or close the roof accordingly. Opening and closing the roof each take around four minutes.
In addition, the walls of the pool will be retractable. The wall sections each consist of three parts, the top one of which is fixed and the bottom two of which can move up and down. It will be possible to operate several of the wall sections at one time, but it will be necessary for them to be operated manually via an electronic control panel rather than automatically via the climate computer. This is for safety and to ensure that no one will get trapped by the moving parts.
Ultimately, the retractable roof and walls provide the potential to allow more sunshine, daylight and fresh air into the building. When they are shut, an indoor climate control system will be employed to regulate temperature, as is the case in regular indoor pools.
The new pool at Eiland van Maurik is due to open early next year, once construction has been completed. Bright Buildings' workers will start with the structure of the building, after which the prefabricated roof elements will be installed. The wall sections are also partly prefabricated, but must be finished and glazed once installed. As a result of the frame structure and prefabrication, construction is expected to be a relatively quick process.
Source: Bright Buildings
