Plunge pool
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing pool installation methods, such as concrete and prefabricated pools, face challenges including lengthy installation times, added weight and cost due to features like steps and benches, and potential for cracking or damage during transport and installation, while lacking structural integrity and refined finishes.
Innovation Solution
A prefabricated plunge pool with an integrally formed monolithic shell from cast cementitious material, reinforced with steel mesh and fibre reinforcement, featuring a hollow cavity to reduce weight and conceal equipment, and a thermo-polymer treated surface for durability and aesthetics, allowing for quicker and more cost-effective installation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If a concrete pool is built on-site, then structural integrity is improved, but installation time increases to up to 10 weeks
Solution Approach 1:
The pool is divided into separate modular components (pool shell, steps, benches, coping) that are precast in a controlled factory environment and then assembled on-site. This segmentation allows parallel production of multiple components, dramatically reducing on-site installation time while maintaining structural integrity through engineered connection details.
Solution Approach 2:
All pool components are precast in advance in a factory setting, allowing for controlled curing, reinforcement placement, and quality assurance before delivery. The components arrive ready-to-assemble with pre-attached features such as coping stones, step structures, and bonding beams, eliminating time-consuming on-site construction activities.
2Strength
If solid steps and benches are added to prefabricated pools, then structural integrity is improved, but weight and material cost increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of using solid concrete for steps and benches throughout, the design employs local quality by using lighter-weight materials such as timber or composite materials for the step and bench structures. These are strategically placed only where needed for user access and comfort, rather than providing continuous solid support, thereby reducing overall weight while maintaining necessary structural integrity at critical load-bearing points.
Solution Approach 2:
The pool utilizes composite material construction, combining the strength of precast concrete for the main shell and bonding beams with lighter materials such as timber, steel, or composite decking for steps and benches. This composite approach provides the necessary structural integrity for the pool body while significantly reducing the weight of accessory features compared to traditional all-concrete construction.
3Strength
If a bond beam is added around the pool edge for strength, then structural integrity is improved, but weight and bulk increase and infinity style edge is precluded
Solution Approach 1:
The bonding beam is applied selectively only at the corners and along specific structural joints where reinforcement is necessary for integrity. Rather than creating a continuous bulky beam around the entire pool perimeter, the bonding beam is localized to critical stress points, allowing the majority of the pool edge to maintain a sleek, minimal profile suitable for infinity style installations.
Solution Approach 2:
The bonding beam structure is segmented into discrete sections at corners and joints rather than forming a continuous perimeter beam. This segmentation allows each bonding beam section to be precisely sized and positioned only where structurally necessary, eliminating unnecessary bulk and enabling clean, minimalist edge designs that can accommodate infinity style overflows and skimmers.
4Productivity
If prefabricated pools are made from plastic materials like polyvinyl chloride or fibreglass, then assembly time is reduced, but structural integrity and refined finish deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The pool system employs composite material construction, combining precast concrete components for the main shell and structural elements with other materials for finishing. The precast concrete provides superior structural integrity, durability, and refined finish compared to plastic materials, while the modular nature of precasting maintains quick assembly speeds similar to plastic pools.
5Adaptability or versatility
If features like steps and benches are added to prefabricated pools, then functionality is improved, but material cost and transportation weight increase
Solution Approach 1:
Steps, benches, and other pool features are segmented into separate, modular components that can be independently designed, manufactured, and installed. This allows for flexible configuration options where customers can select only the features they need, reducing material costs compared to integrated designs where all features must be included. The modular approach also reduces transportation weight by allowing efficient packing of individual components.
Solution Approach 2:
The precast pool components are designed with universal features that can serve multiple functions. For example, the pool shell can be configured with various step and bench attachments, different coping styles, and integrated or separate bonding beams depending on the desired functionality. This multi-functionality allows a single base pool design to accommodate diverse functional requirements without requiring custom-built features for each configuration, thereby controlling material costs.
Data Source
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AI summary
A pool, preferably a plunge pool, that can be prefabricated and on site installed in a short space of time is provided. The pool is integrally formed, resulting in a unitary pool shell having a floor, one or more sidewalls connected to the floor, a surface, such as a step or bench, extending from at least one of the sidewalls; and a peripheral wall extending from the surface to the floor.