The construction of a swimming pool in a tourist-accommodation context, in particular in a campsite, consists of several phases. In the first place, the most important decision must be made: that of carefully evaluating which type of clientele one should address. This phase is also of fundamental importance in choosing the type of swimming pool: in fact, there are infinite ways of designing a swimming pool, depending on the clientele you intend to satisfy. In some cases, the most correct choice could also be not to proceed with the construction.
Once this first fundamental step has been done, it is important to design the pool so that it meets all our needs, from the budget to any urban planning limits, to the type suitable for our structure. Only in the event that all these variables manage to find a satisfactory solution, albeit with some inevitable compromise solution, does it make sense to move forward.
It is clear that, in this phase, any pool builder can help by providing valuable information, but the choice is not up to him. It is the client, possibly helped by a designer and/or a consultant, who must make these fundamental choices, then looking on the market for the best offer to create the product. All this to say that the design phase, too often neglected, is a phase of fundamental importance, which requires the correct times and methods. This is where deciding whether the construction of the swimming pool will be a success, a disappointment or a disaster – no small matter!
The design phase must go step by step, starting from the so-called “constraints”, which are the aspects that are determined to be fundamental and which cannot be ignored. If, for example, it has been decided that the campsite is and must remain an oasis of peace and tranquillity, the swimming pool must be positioned in a rather secluded area of the structure that is not central; it cannot be equipped with waterslides, trampolines, noisy water games or similar things, and must be silent and inspire serenity rather than fun. If, on the other hand, you want to satisfy the needs of families who have to take reticent and sullen teenagers on holiday, then the swimming pool with slides, rivers, rubber dinghies, bouncy castles and everything that can attract children from that age: the children will be happy, the parents more.
A constraint can also be represented by an urban requirement: if only the construction of a swimming pool with particular dimensions, color or other characteristics is allowed, this is undoubtedly a fixed point, which also partly concerns the sphere of building permits for swimming pools in the campsites we talked about in a previous article. The last aspect in terms of constraints, but perhaps the most important, concerns the budget.
Once the constraints have been set, the best idea is sought and the design adventure begins, which is the most beautiful phase, because on paper (indeed, on the computer monitor) you can do all the possible simulations by going back and starting over without doing any damage. The term “design” means exactly this: designing what does not yet exist. The bureaucratic part of the design, the presentation of the projects, the supervision of the works is something else. Necessary, of course, but it comes later. First, the client must autonomously collect the information and decide what the future of his structure will be with the new swimming pool.
There are so many possible choices. Let’s try to list some of them, in order of importance, considering the case of an inground swimming pool.
- Overflow or skimmer pool (the overflow pool requires a gutter and overflow tank);
- Size and shape of the tub;
- Space available for systems;
- Presence or absence of water games (whirlpools, fountains, slides or other);
- Construction material (there are many, each with different characteristics: reinforced concrete, disposable formwork, metal panels, eps and more);
- Upholstery (here too the choice is quite large).
In addition to this, it is necessary to evaluate other aspects already in the design phase, such as for example the type of water supply but, above all, the possibility and type of waste water discharge deriving from both emptying and washing the filters. For the location, however, the noise of the system must be taken into account, due both to the pumps and to the movement of the water itself, especially if the pool is overflow.
In short, there are many elements to consider, and thinking about it first helps a lot to avoid trouble later. There is no doubt that a swimming pool will never be free from maintenance needs, and if someone tries to convince you otherwise, they are lying, knowing they are lying. But there is a big difference between normal maintenance and the attention that a poorly designed pool requires: in the latter case, it can really become a nightmare.
Very often there is a tendency to make the professional figures involved in the design coincide in a single person, but this is often not the most correct choice, because there are at least three required skills and they may not always coincide in a single professional. The “virtual construction” part of the pool requires specific technical skills on materials and construction systems, while the “negotiation” and presentation of building permits phase and the construction management phase require completely different skills. The most correct choice is often to separate these phases, turning to different professionals. Better to take the time needed to build a good project, analyzing all aspects while there is time, making the most of the enormous potential of the most important phase, that of design.
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