Posts Tagged ‘luxury’
Sustainable Swimming Pool
Sustainability is a serious issue, not a fad that can be taken lightly, and it cannot be achieved by lip service alone. Affordability and implement ability are key factors, not the least because without these it would all be only preaching and not practice, which is why real sustainability has a social responsibility component to it. In our industry of swimming pool design and construction, the established practices are so deeply embedded that sustainability will require change at grass root level: the way we think about designing and running pools. Little tweaks or fine tuning won’t cut it, although trying to run existing facilities in a better way certainly would. Truly sustainable practices will require more than the perceived notion of selecting green materials, it will require more labour inputs than do the “efficient” industrial practices we’re now used to and there will naturally be issues of scale.
Our company design and install deluxe indoor and outdoor swimming pools in Central and Greater London areas. This is a mix of architecture and construction and for us sustainability means meeting the needs of today without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs. We try to achieve sustainability by designing swimming pools that use less virgin or recyclable material, less energy, cause less pollution and less waste while offering benefits that match or exceed the traditional construction methods.The foundation for the whole process lies in balancing design, installation, environmental and operational considerations. Swimming pool projects are monitored and evaluated through the life cycle as they progress through the various stages from initial concept to commissioning and use by the swimmers. There are three main stakeholders in our industry and we would like to put forward our opinion on how each one individually influences and would continue to influence sustainability.
Leading manufacturers of pool equipment like Certikin and Calorex, who in our opinion also happen to be more environmentally conscious than others, are enviously placed in this sustainability chain. They can, and increasingly do, improve sustainability in two ways: They develop products that use recycled or recyclable plastics and other materials like stainless steel, so the initial input is more sustainability oriented. They also design the products like air to air and ground source heat pumps that use less energy during their life cycle and last longer than conventional pool heaters produce less wastage at the end of it.These practices are set to be become the norm across the pool industry, especially the tiles and finishes manufacturers who are now offering natural materials like slate and granite to finish an increasing number of modern swimming pools.We as the designers and installers have the opportunity to educate the end user about the advantages and considerations of sustainability for their pool. We can advise them on energy saving heaters and pool covers that not only reduce running costs but also reduce carbon footprint of their premises.We are also moving towards using sustainable materials like concrete and stainless steel to build the pools. Use of concrete can offer significant sustainability benefits in the life cycle of pools and associated structures. Its thermal mass is highly efficient in reducing the energy needed to heat buildings, and it also allows a high level of air tightness. Concrete is highly durable and so needs minimal maintenance and can thus reduce whole life costs. Long life of the material also means that concrete structures are appropriate for change of use, although that is usually not the case with swimming pools.
End Users (Swimmers and Spectators) End users have tremendous influencing power on the overall sustainability of swimming pools, let me explain how. Traditionally the pools have been heated to around 28c, but better heating systems have allowed the temperatures that people keep their pool to creep up to 36c. If you heat your pool to a significantly higher temperature, not only you have to use more energy and bear subsequent heat loss, but algae and bacteria can cause problems unless you increase the chlorine levels significantly. This leads to use of more chemicals as well. If the end users can be educated to keep the pool at or below 28c, not only energy and chemical consumption is reduced, but the water loss due to evaporation can also be cut down. Since water supplies are running low throughout the world, it would also help if more people used pool covers to reduce evaporation and conserve water. Use of pool covers is an important consideration; pool covers reduce the amount of make-up water needed by 30 to 50 percent and reduce chemical consumption by 35 to 60 percent. Reflective pool covers can also be used to reduce the amount of light reflected by the average pool, and in cold countries, dark pool covers are useful in reducing heating costs (as they absorb heat from sunlight) End users can improve sustainability in the following ways: Install a pool cover, as much as 70 percent of a pool’s heat loss is caused by evaporation. Reduce pool’s water temperature and the number of months to heat the pool. Keep the pool’s cleaning and heating equipment clean and lubricated. Well maintained equipment is more efficient and will last longer before it needs to be replaced. Use a time switch to operate the pool filter and sweeper operations to off-peak hours. Install a water-saving cartridge pool filter. One backwash with a traditional filter uses 3000 to 5000 liters of water. Shorten the operating time for swimming pool filter and use and automatic cleaner. g) Create a windbreak around the pool with fence, plants and shrubs. This wind break will prevent breezes from reaching the pool and keep air from sucking away moisture. Really sustainable practices have a lot to go further, there are lot more changes that can be done to save water, reduce chemicals, and minimise energy consumption. Salt water pools are one option – they have slightly lower evaporation rates and use fewer chemicals than other pools.
To finish and summarise, we think that interest and investment in the development sustainable practices will continue to rise, and given a little push by government incentives and right attitude to fulfill CSR, the pool industry will emerge much cleaner and greener.
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