As readers may remember from the January edition of AKVO’s Flash News, Munich’s Olympia-Schwimmhalle underwent a rejuvenation project in 2019. The renovations included the addition of an AKVO movable pool floor, adding flexibility to the centre’s main 50m Olympic pool.
Munich isn’t the only major city that has seen the value in increasing versatility of Olympic facilities once Olympic Games have come and gone. The Aquatic Center at the Luzhniki Olympic Complex in Moscow, was among the facilities used in the 1980 Summer Olympic Games and is the proud new owner of an AKVO movable pool floor. The site is no longer home to one single 50m pool, but a building that offers a host of aquatic sports and recreation activities.
The Olympic-size swimming pool now only represents the tip of the iceberg in its new home. Guests of the Aquatic Centre can now choose to surf on a standing wave, have a splash in the wave pool, drift down the lazy river, slide down one of the 9 waterslides, or enjoy one of the many other recreational pools and thermal baths.
Despite the addition of many recreational features, the Aquatic Centre is still deeply rooted in training and competition. AKVO’s movable pool floor can be found in one of the two 25m training pools located in the
Centre. AKVO’s movable pool floor is regularly used to adjust the depth of the pool to tailor the swimming experience based on the guests’ needs and abilities. At shallower depths, this pool is used by the swimming school, allowing students and young swimmers to get their feet wet in a safe environment. That same pool can be used for various sports and activities requiring more significant depths.
When considering the investment made in public facilities, it is obvious that making swimming pools more versatile allows a larger spectrum of
guests to benefit from the project. This versatility also increases usage of the facility, as many more activities can take place within a single space.
These key characteristics make integration of movable pool floors in public spaces a decision which is both economically and socially conscious. Municipalities big and small are catching-on to this trend and requesting that movable pool floors be installed in their facilities – whether it be for a new aquatic centre or for a pool renovation in a facility of historic proportions.
• Local Partner: Piscines Desjoyaux
• Shape & size: rectangular 6 m x 25 m (20 ft x 82 ft)
• Usable water depth: 2.5 m (100 in)
• Capacity: 65 kg/sq. m (13 lb/sq. ft)
• Finish: Plastic paneling
• Number of IL150 Spiralift units: 10
• Spiralift Travel: 2.5 m (100 in)
• Speed: 300 mm/minute (12 in/minute)
