In a recent post, I wrote about design and operational strategies for a variety of food and beverage options in municipal recreation facilities. But food and beverage service areas are just one of multiple building components that tend to get overlooked in the early design phase.
Another one is mechanical and chemical rooms for aquatics elements. The big issue here is not the actual inclusion of such spaces but the proper size and location for them. Obviously, recreation centers that include an aquatics component will require adequate space to house pumps, filters, heaters, chemicals, chemical treatment systems and other equipment and items that are critical to pool operation. Such areas should be easily accessible for aquatics staff and third-party pool maintenance professionals and vendors but also located away from general user traffic.
Here are three factors that help dictate the location and design of mechanical and chemical rooms:
1. Filtration
Two types of swimming pool filtration systems dominate today’s commercial aquatics market. One is traditional sand filters, which occupy substantial space and create significant effluent when backwashing — potentially requiring a separate backwash tank. Regenerative media filters, on the other hand, offer advanced sanitation and have a much smaller footprint than sand filters. Their reduced backwash rate typically eliminates backwash tanks. Early determination of the water filtration system a new aquatic facility will use influences such major factors as mechanical room square footage and plumbing capacity.
While regenerative media filtration requires more financial outlay than sand filtration, it also requires less space. Reduced square footage can help offset the added mechanical cost.
2. Chemicals
The size of chemical rooms is just as crucial as their location. Consider how pool chemicals will be delivered. Chemical rooms should be located near a service road for easy delivery, and at least one wall should be an exterior one that includes a door wide enough to deliver those chemicals. When designing aquatics centers, always isolate chemical rooms from all other facility components, and each room should have its own fan and ventilation system. These are noxious and corrosive spaces, so isolating them is necessary for the health of occupants and the rest of the building itself.
We also always design chemical rooms to be large enough to accommodate a storage tank for liquid bleach, which — along with chlorine tablets — is among the most common types of pool sanitizers. Even if a client plans to use tablets, it’s common for facility operators to change sanitization methods over time, based on chemical cost or for other reasons. That way, when the switch happens, the chemical room is ready to accommodate it.
3. Pumps
Pool pumps break down, just like parts on any other equipment. When that happens — keep in mind that pumps can weigh hundreds of pounds each — it’s nice to have an easy way to remove an old pump and bring in a new one. That’s why we include removable railings and an overhead trolley beam for access to the pump pit in project design. When new-pump day arrives, these items ease the replacement process and help ensure safety.
Where a facility has only one or two bodies of water, one central pump location likely makes the most sense. However, if a larger facility has multiple bodies of water — say, indoors and out — it often makes sense to separate pump locations. A bunch of pumps in one place can create a huge amount of piping. This can be an issue of practicality as well as cost. One solution is separating feature pumps that are not tied to filtration. They can be moved close to their water feature rather than be located in the mechanical room.
When planning a new aquatics facility (or renovating an existing one), seek to work with an architectural firm that understands how aquatics components operate and the space they require — even if a specialized aquatics consultant also is part of the design team. After all, the architect is the one who ultimately is responsible for housing all of the necessary equipment and making the mechanical room function smoothly. Because if it doesn’t, nothing else will, either.
Next time, I’ll explore strategies for tackling general storage challenges.
Stephen Springs, FAIA, is a senior principal at Brinkley Sargent Wiginton Architects in Dallas, Texas.
