our role on your pool & spa project

“Water treatment systems are an integral part of the architectural, structural and mechanical design and must be addressed from the very start of the project”

The pool & spa consultants are specialist engineers providing independent expert advice on the pool water treatment, the pool tank, water features, movable floors and movable booms.  Their role on a project – to ensure that the specialist elements are properly designed and integrated into the building – involves a number of distinct stages.

Concept & Developed Design

This is the initial and most crucial design stage of the project.  Key issues that need to be resolved are the design philosophy, the pool tanks type and profile, the extent and types of water treatment, the servicing strategy, the budgets for the elements, the sizes and locations of plantrooms and service ducts and the procurement method.

Failure to address the issues adequately at this stage can have serious design and cost implications for the project at a later stage.  The pool & spa consultants role for these two stages is crucial.

Technical Design

There are two distinct elements to this stage – the specification/drawings and interfacing the design with the rest of the design team.

The specification and drawings clearly establish the scope and quality of the installations, which can then be used to level the playing field to obtain competitive tenders.  This provides the right solution at the best price.  For clients that require systems and materials that are efficient, effective and that will stand the test of time then these are essential.  In today’s highly competitive market there will always be pressure on sub-contractors to reduce the quality of the specification in order to obtain the job.  This is rarely in the project’s or the client’s best interest.

Specialist elements such as water treatment, pool tanks, and movable floors and booms are highly integrated with the rest of the building.  The interfaces with the architectural, structural, mechanical, electrical, drainage and builderswork elements need to be clearly established and it is most effective, both in terms of cost and design, if these are done before any contractors are appointed.

The Aquatic Consultants role for this stage will bring significant cost and design benefits to the project.

There are many swimming pool contractors - only appropriate ones should be short listed.  Tenderers may not always ‘interpret’ documents correctly and will frequently wish to propose alternative methods and materials. Ensuring that the correct and most advantageous tender is accepted is a specialist and critical task.

Construction, Handover and Close Out

Construction information should reflect the specification, should be co-ordinated with the rest of the building and should make maximum use of allocated plantroom space.  The pool & spa consultants comment upon and co-ordinate this information to ensure that the client achieves the best possible result from the subcontractor.

The pool & spa consultant plays a number of key roles while the works are on site, essentially protecting the clients’ interests and assisting the main contractor by:

• regular inspection of the works to check that the requirements of the specification and that high standards of workmanship are being achieved at all stages 
• advising on site variations and conflicts
• snagging of the completed installation
• detailed evaluation of the commissioning of the installation to check that the systems are functioning effectively and efficiently; critical for the long term operation
• checking of the O&M manuals
• acceptance of the systems for handover and operation

Given the specialist nature of the works the Aquatic Consultants are the only people who can realistically carry out this key role in the expert and independent manner required.

In Use

The pool & spa consultant plays three key roles in this stage; resolution of any defects with the design, advising on construction defects and carrying out the end of defects inspections. As with stage H-M above, given the specialist nature of the works the pool & spa consultants are the only people who can realistically carry out this key role in the expert and independent manner required.