St Margaret’s water polo sized pool is well on its way!
St Margaret’s new Sports Precinct will be sure to impress upon completion. Particularly the water polo sized pool with its ability to be used for 50m laps, 25m laps, and water polo.
A key milestone in the tender process to add significant value is the decision to implement a single shell construction methodology as opposed to the more typical double-wall shells. Finding and engaging a subcontractor proved to be a challenge due to the methodology utilised.
The pool shell requires several concrete pours — two suspended slab pours and an additional 6 pours for the walls. The walls will include gutter details that are formed with folded steel, reducing the risk of future repair costs and increasing the cleanliness of the pool.
The design of both the structure and concrete has been developed to ensure the quality of the concrete is kept to a high standard and any chance of cracking is minimised, all while avoiding the use of any additives. Part of this process includes the wet curing of all concrete for a minimum of 7 days. As the hydration process takes place, the team is ensuring they keep their eye on the slab to ensure the surface of the slab doesn’t dry too quickly or too slowly — it’s a moisture management balancing act. The result will ensure the overall strength and surface structure of the slab is at its best possible. Additionally, the structure is designed to be water-retaining, this is achieved through a special concrete mix design that has the ability to hold water without the need for any waterproofing membranes.
The method utilised for the waterproofing has been uniquely developed using a custom, detailed waterstop where we need an 8-week curing duration before we’re able to begin water testing. It will be an interesting challenge when we come to the tiling stage of the project where we are required to ensure the tiles themselves are less than 35°c when being laid — a difficult task during an Australian summer.