Forest Comprehensive School

The challenge

This boys' comprehensive school in Berkshire had an old neglected and unused pool measuring 25.5 metres x 8 metres with a depth from 1 metre to 2.55 metres.

The school swimming pool had been built by the pupil's parents over 30 years ago from concrete blocks and rendered internally with waterproof paint providing the interior finish to the pool shell.

The swimming pool had not been in use for over 2 years and the failure of the old dilapidated pool enclosure in 2008 due to excessive snow loading during the extreme weather caused the pool to be shut down.

The solution

Ascot Swimming Pools were contacted to discuss not only the refurbishment of the old pool, but also a new pool enclosure to cover the school swimming pool.

Preparatory work

Ascot Pools suggested that new foundations to support the new modular pool enclosure should be constructed to meet the current Building Regulations. The swimming pool had been built up from existing ground so the made up ground around the pool had to be excavated to reach bed rock to provide adequate support for the new foundations

Restricted access to the site meant that the new foundations were excavated by hand and the concrete for the foundations required a concrete pump.

The existing concrete pool coping was removed and the pool shell was acid washed, the walls and floor repaired where necessary.

New return inlets and pipe work was installed together with new stainless steel handrail and brackets.

Natural sandstone coping was profiled and laid as edge coping around the perimeter of the swimming pool.

The new pool lining

Underlay was applied to both the floors and walls of the swimming pool to provide a protective layer on which to fit the new Delifoil on site lining system.

This material protects the liner from abrasion from the substructure, extending the life of the liner and improving swimmer comfort underfoot. This material was bonded to the swimming pool floor and walls using specially formulated adhesive

The swimming pool lining system was then applied by cutting the material to fit the pool shape and profile with each seam being heat welded to form a complete watertight membrane. Additional waterproofing is achieved by the application of specially formulated adhesive to each of the hot welded seams.

New racing lanes in the pool were formed in a contrasting black material

Delifoil is a tough durable 1.5 mm thick reinforced PVC membrane set into the material during manufacture is designed specifically for the on- site lining of swimming pools. It is an ideal material for the refurbishment of old pools where the water tightness of the old pool tank cannot be guaranteed.

Manufactured by the Armstrong Group in Germany, this material is available in different patterns and colours and has been used in over 200,000 private and commercial pools throughout Europe and North America for the past 40 years

You can view more examples of this material at delifoil@armstrong.com After the lining was installed new gasket and faceplates were fitted to handrail brackets, skimmers, main drains and ladder base plates.

The new pool enclosure

The new enclosure was delivered in modular form, so that it could be carried onto the site by hand without the need for cranes or other handling equipment.

The pool was boarded to protect the newly refurbished pool and also to provide access for the assembly of the modular pool enclosure.

Manufactured in France the lightweight pool enclosure is constructed from powder coated aluminium frames, sliding clear wall panels and twin wall polycarbonate roof.

The sliding panels can be slid either partially or completely open to provide ventilation in hot weather and pulled down in the cooler months.

This type of swimming pool enclosure is a cost effective solution for both new and renovated school swimming pools which require a durable and speedily constructed enclosure but does not require expensive foundations or air handling equipment.

The refurbished pool surround

Upon completion of the enclosure a new granular rubber flooring was laid to provide an anti - slip surface which allows surface water from the pool to drain effectively to the outside of the swimming pool enclosure.

The result

The completed project has restored a long neglected empty pool to a modern year round swimming facility, providing a valuable asset to the school and the local community.