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SPN DEC 2010 MovingFloors
www.swimmingpoolnews.co.uk
MAKING THE MOST OF A POOL AREA
The option of a moving floor is becoming more popular than ever before as both residential and commercial swimming pool owners look for more return from their investment. Pool designers are being asked to include versatile high tech options which can be installed on pools to provide maximum flexibility
By Alan Lewis
As swimming pool owners look for more versatility from a limited space then the option of a moving floor is becoming more popular. Space can be converted from a pool into a terrace, dance floor, conference hall or even a play area. A pool room can suddenly become the venue for a wedding reception or party at the flick of a switch. More pool designers are being asked to include this versatile high tech option which can be installed on indoor and outdoor pools to provide different space alternatives. The safety issues provided by a moving floor and its ability to be able suddenly to offer shallow paddling for children is also important to consumers. In fact astonishingly given the costs involved, moving floors for swimming pools now feature in two of every five new commercial pools being built – to alter pool depth or provide flooring for
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or those who think from time to time that having a swimming pool is a bit of a waste of space and has limited use, then think again.
what is often revenue generating options. Moving floors aren’t cheap but it seems the glamorous option of providing a moving floor which can transform a swimming pool into a wide variety of other uses is now both in vogue and in demand.
Almost all the major new pool building projects in Britain now have a moving floor option. At the high end of the residential pool market the opportunity of switching a swimming pool area into a dining area, functional room or a family room has caught on dramatically. The reality is that for the right price swimming pools can be transformed.
Leisure centres were once the almost exclusive purchasers of such engineering systems and moving floors have been installed by commercial or leisure centre owners looking to have more options for limited spaces. It means a more flexible use of floor space and more revenue opportunities. Stafford Leisure Centre’s, learner pool contains a parallel moveable floor system, designed and
installed by F T Leisure Limited. It is typical of many installations and was designed not only to act as a moveable floor system, providing a multitude of depths and activities for all types of swimmers, but also as a dry platform for use during major competitions in the main pool. To cater for the extra loading during use as a dry platform, F T Leisure increased the buoyancy and hydraulic operating system to accept the higher forces. It’s certainly a wow factor that impresses customers but it’s a practical option for architects like Dean Patterson.
“Three of our leisure developments in the West Midlands have now decided to go with a moving floor as part of the swimming pool construction. In one case I think the option of a swimming pool area would have been abandoned in favour of a general leisure room for aerobics, meetings and other sports. The moving floor means the local authority can have both” said Dean. KBE Bauelemente GmbH have been manufacturing moving floors, booms and
Huddersfield’s Sports Centre where the moveable floor offers the commercial pool depth options up to a maximum of 2 metres
Manchester’s Aquatics Centre included a Variopool moving floor to offer flexibility as part of purpose-built, state-of-the-art swimming facility
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