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Vichy Water Sports Centre makes a big splash
By Dean Jobb
Nickel Magazine, December 2009 -- Municipal governments in France are turning
to stainless steel as the material of choice for public swimming pools when both building new aquatic centres
and refurbishing existing ones.
The country’s first recreation complex to feature only stainless steel pools, the €22.5-million Vichy
Water Sports Centre in Bellerive- sur-Allier, opened in January 2008. Its Olympic-size outdoor pool and
indoor wading and amusement pools provide a combined 2,150 square metres of water surface and are crafted
from some 65 tonnes of corrosion- resistant 316 (S31600) stainless steel.
The metal has been used for pools for more than four decades since the first were built in Austria, and
today’s stainless steel pools have a life expectancy of more than 75 years. Thousands are in service
worldwide, providing a cost-effective and long-lasting alternative to traditional tile-lined concrete pools.
Arcelor- Mittal of France supplied the steel used in the Vichy Centre, which was built by the French
subsidiary of the Austrian firm HSB (Hinke Schwimmbad) Österreich GmbH.
Pool walls and bottom surfaces are constructed of prefabricated panels between 1.5 and 5 millimetres
thick, depending on the strength required, and welded together on-site to make them watertight. The metal is
strong enough to be self-supporting for pools up to 2.2 metres deep. For deeper pools, concrete footings clad
in stainless panels provide additional stability. For the refurbishing of older pools, panels can be
installed over the existing lining or used to replace an existing tile surface.
Steel-formed pools are lighter than concrete and flexible enough to withstand slight settling of the
ground below, making them a good choice for areas of seismic activity or where the surrounding soil or rock
strata is weak.
Stainless steel also offers advantages when it comes to safety, hygiene and maintenance. The smooth
surface is easy to clean and does not contain crevices for bacteria to establish and grow. Welds are ground
smooth and corners can be rounded to remove rough patches and sharp edges that might injure a swimmer.
Embossing of stair treads and other surfaces where users walk reduces the risk of slipping. Pools operated in
France must be emptied and thoroughly cleaned twice a year, but the ease of cleaning stainless pools means
this operation can be performed faster with less downtime.
French law restricts the chloride content of pool water to 250 milligrams per litre. The 316 grade, with
its 2.0-per-cent minimum molybdenum content, has the corrosion resistance needed to meet that standard and
can handle higher-than-normal concentrations that occur as chemicals are mixed or water temperature
increases.
Stainless steel offers flexibility in the design and appearance of pools and their enclosures. The metal
can be readily formed into elegant curves to create pools with distinctive shapes. Jacques Rougerie, the
Paris-based firm specializing in marine architecture that designed the Vichy Centre, topped the indoor pools
with a dome of blue-tinted transparent panels that allows sunlight to reflect on to the submerged metal
surfaces below.
Spokesperson Ariel Fuchs says Rougerie is using stainless steel pools in three other projects in France,
including a 5,800-squaremetre aquatic centre under construction in the Paris suburb of Montmorency and the
Caudry Aquatic Centre, a 3,500-square-metre facility scheduled to open in northern France in 2012.
Photos: Jacques Rougerie Architecte
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