How Fluidra Helped Make Carmel High School's World-Class Facility Possible

At the elite levels of competitive swimming, the difference between the podium and a missed opportunity can come down to a hundredth of a second. That same precision applied to the $55-million Natatorium at Carmel High School in Indiana, completed in 2024. Today, it’s the centerpiece of what the swim world calls Swim City, USA.

After producing four Olympians for the 2024 Games, the facility has cemented its status as a premier training ground for athletes ranging from beginners to world-class competitors. But much like the path to becoming an Olympian, creating a world-class facility requires a vision and relentless execution.

At the outset, Carmel Swim Coach Chris Plumb felt the new facility had dual goals: “Meeting the needs of our community in terms of the volume and being able to practice at opportune times, and the ability to host world-class competitions in Carmel.”

To realize this vision, the facility partnered with Fluidra North America for an integrated, service-oriented approach. VP of Commercial Sales, Steve Gutai, notes, “Commercial is a priority for us at Fluidra North America, and watching a one-of-a-kind project like this come together is so rewarding. It’s truly special to be a part of building a facility that contributes to so many in the swim community.”

Designing a World-Class Facility

Carmel High School leaders wanted to build a flexible, durable, competition-ready venue capable of hosting major swim meets. They needed a major partner with the experience and resources necessary to achieve this at an elite level.

Coach Chris Plumb says that partnering with Fluidra was the right decision for Carmel High School. “As soon as we started thinking about ‘Who is the best company out there to take care of all of our equipment needs,’ [Fluidra] just made sense to us,” he notes.

Fortunately, Fluidra also had a personal connection to the aspired project. Before joining Fluidra, Commercial Sales Manager Andy Pedersen coached swimming in the area. “When this project came up, I was in a position where I knew the players who were going to make this project happen,” says Pedersen.

Plumb adds, “Having Andy around just furthered the relationship… Putting those things together and looking at different vendors, it just made the most sense to go with [Fluidra].”

During the design phase, Fluidra’s experts provided a broad array of professional services, offerings that they extend across all commercial projects. They worked closely with builders Buddenbaum & Moore, and collaborated with Coach Plumb and lead architect and top industry designer, Bill Robertson, to spec and design critical components. “Coach Plumb is a really dynamic leader in our profession,” says Pedersen. “So he was the perfect guy to coordinate from the owner’s side many of the aspects of the project.”

This early-stage collaboration influenced everything from the technical mechanics of the bulkheads to aesthetic decisions like color palettes. By providing technical expertise during the design stage, Fluidra ensured that the facility’s hardware was perfectly synchronized with its operational goals.

The durability and adaptability of Fluidra products, plus strong warranty support, made the company the right partner. Robertson specifically noted Fluidra’s elite aquatic facility products from S.R.Smith including Stark Bulkheads and a range of Starting Blocks. “[Fluidra] had everything, and I was familiar with [the] fiberglass bulkheads. Since [Fluidra was] so heavily involved in Indiana… it only made sense to use the blocks, too.”

Adopting Efficiency and Innovation

With a vision to become a leader in competitive swimming, the Carmel High School team needed a facility capable of handling the demands of major swim meets. One of the most critical upgrades to achieve this vision was the transition away from stainless steel bulkheads. Following negative experiences with the maintenance and weight of steel, the project team opted for Fluidra's Stark fiberglass bulkhead system from S.R.Smith.

The operational impact was immediate. While competitor stainless steel bulkheads can take 15 to 20 minutes to move and lock, the fiberglass system from Fluidra allows the staff to reconfigure the pool in just three to four minutes. Across five pools—four new and one renovated—those saved minutes translate into more training time for athletes and more efficient transitions during multi-day championship meets.

“Having that [flexibility] with the scoreboard and the bulkheads, and quickly being able to switch back to that short-course format after the meet is over is a huge advantage,” Coach Plumb notes. From a practice standpoint, “All of those things lead to more variety, which is just a better workout, and you get a more engaged athlete.”

Pedersen and Robertson both emphasize the reduced maintenance required, as well. Says Pedersen, “Stark is the premier fiberglass bulkhead on the market. In my previous job, we had two indoor 50-meter pools; stainless steel bulkheads on one, Stark fiberglass on the other. I knew the advantages of using a Stark bulkhead… no moving parts, durability, standing the test of time, ease of movement. A lot of those things seemed that they would be important to [Carmel High School], and we were able to point that out.”

This state-of-the-art facility isn’t just built for competition, but it’s also cutting down on maintenance requirements and costs.

Equipment Designed for Every Athlete

A high-performance swimming hub must be many things at once: a safe space for a seven-year-old’s first lesson, an adaptable facility for multi-level swim meets, and a world-class stage for a record-breaking swim.

As Fluidra became more deeply involved with the project, it became clear that only a partner with the breadth of products, services, and expertise could execute such a complex vision. Fluidra oversaw the installation of everything from its S.R.Smith lifeguard chairs, lifts, and lane line reels to custom railings and elite starting blocks.

At the core of that vision is safety and accessibility for athletes. Robertson says, “We wanted to make sure that it was as safe as it possibly could be.”

In a facility designed to serve a wide range of ages and abilities, the starting blocks especially stand out as a key piece of innovation. Designed with adjustable features, they accommodate the ergonomics of young developmental swimmers while providing the stability and grip required for the explosive starts of the pros. It’s the same equipment, engineered to serve all.

Such innovation and adaptability required an incredibly complex logistical process. “On a project like this, you have to be able to work with lead times,” says Pedersen. “We were spacing and bidding the project a couple years out. You can’t be delivering products too early because they could get damaged.”

Such a complex lift required a partner like Fluidra. “For the life of the project, we’re going to be there,” he insists. “When you need something, when you have ideas about new things, [if] there are problems, we’re going to be there. A bigger partner means what kind of team is responding to Carmel when they need us. We have someone at Carmel High School within 24 hours of them needing something.”

A Pragmatic Partnership

A bigger pool requires a better partner. As facilities scale in complexity and cost, the risk of downtime or equipment failure becomes a significant liability. With peak durability and strong warranty protections, Fluidra provided the logistical excellence and operational efficiency that all stakeholders hoped for from the outset.

By integrating high-performance products with deep technical expertise, the project team created a venue suitable for the world-class moments it hosts. The facility stands as a blueprint for the future of competitive aquatics: a place where elite engineering meets elite athleticism.

Today, the partnership continues through Fluidra’s dedicated service. “To me, the customer service we’ve gotten from Fluidra has just been top-notch,” says Coach Plumb. “Fluidra has been great as just somebody to count on.”

For more information on Fluidra's commercial products and services, visit their website to contact a representative.