Swimming Pool Design Specialists

POOL ACRYLIC WINDOWS FOR ‘POOL WINDOWS PTY LTD, AUSTRALIA

Year: 2009 – present day

SUNSET WATER VILLA POOLS - CONRAD MALDIVES RESORT & SPA, RANGALI ISLAND

Year: 2008
Website: www.conradmaldivesrangali.com

Another very interesting and challenging project. Our clients (Conrad Maldives and Crown Company), wanted to build 2 - 40,000 litre freshwater swimming pools in the sea, in front of their two most luxurious and secluded water villas... the Sunset Water Villas.... to further enhance the uniqueness and desirability of these marvellous villas. Conrad Maldives required the quickest construction time (in their off-peak tourist season), combined with minimum disruption to the idyllic and peaceful environment on the island. They also required us to respect the beautifully pristine habitat, by using construction methods which caused the least amount of disturbance to the surrounding seabed, and coral life.We were also restricted by the equipment available on the island (small barges and diggers with maximum 4 tonne lifting capacity), limited access to the site from the sea, and the difficulties of boxing and pouring concrete in the narrow time slots between low tide and high tide. After the success of our Underwater Restaurant 'Ithaa' (for the same clients), we had become known for our ability to 'think outside the square'. Hence, our clients were looking to us for a suitable solution.Our solution was to fabricate the pools from a series of smaller precast concrete units (less than 4 tonnes each), poured and cured on another island an hour's boat trip away, then barged to site for erection. Each pool consisted of 10 precast concrete foundation units, 4 precast concrete support beams, and 10 precast U-shaped concrete pool sections. A high quality concrete mix design was developed, to resist the salty marine environment, and included the use of Xypex Admix, which has the ability to self-repair small hairline cracks in the concrete, by crystalline growth.The foundation areas were excavated to level, firstly using a digger in the sea at low tide, followed by careful hand levelling and compacting by divers. Then the 10 precast foundation units were brought over on a barge and lifted by the digger into position. Because of the difficulties in achieving super-accurate location of these foundations, a high degree of tolerance had to be built into the 4 concrete support beams and their connections. These were placed on top, levelled up and grouted in place, using stainless steel dowels, an epoxy adhesive grout and special Xypex grout.Then came the interesting part, of bringing over the 10 U-shaped pool sections, one at a time, - wait until low tide, then get the digger to lift each one onto the support beams. We had developed a special rebated joint between units, using Reid bar coupling systems from NZ, a Holdfast sealant-adhesive between units, and an array of large stainless steel threaded rods to post tension and clamp all units together, before pouring low shrinkage concrete in the rebates. The system worked exceptionally well, and the 2 pools were assembled and clamped very quickly over a two week period. These units also incorporated a water-tight pump and filter room at one end, which would be disguised under a timber deck.Once all 10 units (for each pool) were clamped together and concrete cured, a 800mm cantilevered concrete overhang was boxed and poured around 3 sides, to form the spectacular infinity edge of the pools. Then the entire pool surface was tiled in a blue ceramic tile selected by the Clients, timber decks built to join to the existing Villa decks, pumps, filters, vacuuming system and lighting installed, water added, - then the Champagne flowed! In summary, a very successful and enjoyable project.Photos shown on this page and in our Gallery are with the kind permission of Crown Company and Conrad Maldives. 

KRIMMER POOL - SUNSHINE COAST, BRISBANE

Year: 2007
Website: www.aquatonic.com.au