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2015 International Awards of Excellence

Covertech LLC
Southampton, New York
6312879495
 

Covertech - Grando automatic pool cover

Category

Installations in the U.S. & Canada > Miscellaneous Pool Categories > Residential Pools with Automatic Covers

Description

Our client required of us an unusual level of quality workmanship. During the design process he said "I'm not planning on moving so I want this constructed to last more than 30 years." This and the "one off" complexity of the design handed to us by AEB Architects set the stage for a mentally challenging and detailed project. This free form pool in Colorado is a partial build against a pavilion foundation and also built into a hill requiring extensive retaining of over 25 feet of sandstone geology from top to bottom of the excavation and landscaping. The deep end at the hill side is a 12 feet deep diving pool about 28 x 38 feet. This pool area connects through a river pool; size is about 10 x 26 feet, overlooked by a round SPA, into a beach entry pool, with size of about 26 x 44 feet. The pool has over 75.000 gallons of water and is open year around. This was the reason for the owner to decide on a rigid slated pool cover along with a large Geothermal Heating system and unprecedented layers of super insulation. For ecstatic reasons the owner choose a blue translucent polycarbonate slat material, so the pool can be closed especially in evening times, but would be illuminated blue through the pool lights. The pool also has a solar system to offset the electricity consumed by the geothermal heat pumps. In all, the main residence, pool pavilion, pool and hot tub are at has 70 - 80 % net zero efficiency. This was a very complex project that required many sequencing layers including geothermal infrastructure, extensive underground utilities, site wide daylight drainage system, pavilion foundation structure, an engineered
retaining vault for the deep pool built in three stages by craning in interlocking rebar cages and "tieing back" each of 7 "panels" with horizontal helical piers. This pool does not exist without its soft and hard lines, the landscape, rock scape, pavilion, decks, and strikes a balance by sharing structure with the pavilion foundation as its form on the north side and utilizes its space to house solar systems, geothermal heat systems, pool cover motors as well as pool mechanical. Coordination of the
pool cover motor locations started in the pavilion foundation phase where the motors would later connect through the foundation and shotcrete through waterproofed stainless steel sleeves. The pool was 99% earth / insulation / foundation / and retaining vault formed as well as super insulated over the course of seven coordinated insulation phases. A special high compressive strength foam used in the mining industry was used to insulate the floor of the pool. Excavation for the pool was spread out over
five phases and the shotcrete was applied over the course of six phases. A complex temporary structure was constructed as the pool was to be built over the winter months.

Winner Status

  • Gold

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