AN INDOOR SCHOOL POOL WITH HYDRAULIC DISABLED ACCESS PLATFORM
An Indoor School Pool With Hydraulic Disabled Access Platform
Buckingham Pools handover a fully equipped swimming pool to the leading construction group Bowmer and Kirkland. The design, carried out by our in-house CAD team, successfully meets the requirements for the planned replacement of high-quality facilities and buildings at Astley Cooper School in Hertfordshire.
A spacious level deck 20m x 8.5m pool with a varying depth between 1-2m features high-grade commercial equipment to accommodate pupils, including those with additional support needs. The disabled access platform is an all stainless-steel construction, with a white plastic embossed deck and removable handrails. As a result, the platform driven by water hydraulics removes the risk of pool water contamination. Furthermore, a new all-in-one disinfection chemical, calcium hypochlorite, is a user-friendly dosing system to provide hygienic water around the clock.
One of the challenges during the shell construction was working in humid 40° C heat last summer. Nevertheless, our construction and engineering team worked smoothly towards a timely work programme to avoid delays. Subsequently, a solid static water test and first-fix pipework followed before the rendering and screed stage. However, working under a scaffold crash deck during this stage obstructed the pool entirely and proved a rather confining exercise. Overall, our resilient and conscientious team completed the tiling and installed the plant room ahead of schedule.
Alongside the new build pool, Buckingham Pools were appointed to drain and decommission the school’s old swimming pool in a separate leisure building. The original pool was an outdated design from the 1960s with a singular 1m square sump suction, with hatched-off sections of the overflow gully acting as skimmers connected into one suction. Regardless, the pool heating, top-up and chemical dosing were isolated and switched off, with the pool then drained via pump to the main drain. Our engineers removed the singular steel filter, gas boilers, electrical distribution boards and panels to decommission the pool entirely.
We are proud to deliver the project to our client B+K within the agreed completion date of June 2023. With room for 50+ bathers at any given time, the swimming pool is the centre of the newly designed leisure complex at Astley Cooper School. Buckingham Pools are proud to be engaged in this forward-thinking, inclusive project in an effort to generate more interest in health and wellness driven activities.
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