Resources and guides
Short, practical guides for anyone planning a pool or wellness space, whether you are a homeowner starting to think about it, an architect drawing one into a scheme, or a hotel or spa operator weighing up a wellness offer. If your question is not covered here, the FAQs page may help, or simply ask.
Planning a private pool: the first six decisions
Most of the cost and most of the pleasure of a pool are settled in the first few decisions, long before anyone digs a hole. Get these right and the rest follows.
Indoor or outdoor. An indoor pool is usable every day of the year but needs a building, ventilation and humidity control around it. An outdoor pool is simpler and cheaper to build but, without a cover and good heating, is a summer pool in this climate.
How you will use it. Serious swimming wants length (12 m or more) and a constant depth; family use wants width and a shallow end; relaxation wants warmth, seating and perhaps a spa alongside. Be honest about which matters most, because a pool that tries to do everything does none of them well.
Where the plant room goes. Filtration, heating and water treatment need a dry, ventilated room close to the pool with good access for servicing. Deciding this early avoids long pipe runs, noise in the wrong place and awkward maintenance for the next twenty years.
How it will be heated. Heating is the biggest running cost. An air source heat pump, solar thermal or a link to the house heating, combined with insulation and an automatic cover, will pay for itself many times over compared with a gas boiler running an uncovered pool.
Shell and finish. Concrete with tiles or a liner, stainless steel, panel systems or a one-piece shell each have their strengths in cost, appearance, longevity and how quickly they go in. The right answer depends on the site, the budget and the look you are after.
Who is responsible for what. Pools go wrong at the joins between trades: builder, pool contractor, electrician, ventilation installer. A written specification and one person coordinating the packages is the surest way to avoid that.
Keeping running costs down
A well-designed pool should be a pleasure to own, not a worry every time the energy bill arrives. The savings come from a handful of design choices made at the start. A cover, used every day, is the single most effective measure, cutting heat loss and evaporation dramatically. Insulation to the shell and pipework stops heat leaking into the ground. An efficient heat source, sized correctly, matters more than a powerful one. Variable-speed pumps run quietly at low speed for most of the day and cost a fraction of a fixed-speed pump. Automatic dosing and remote water analysis keep the chemistry right without wasted chemicals or emergency call-outs. For indoor pools, the air handling unit is as important as the water plant: recovering heat from the extracted air and controlling humidity properly protects the building as well as the bills.
For architects: what a pool needs from the building
A pool is easiest to accommodate when it is designed into the scheme from the outset rather than fitted around it. The things we most often need to resolve with the design team, ideally before planning, are set out below.
Plant room. A dedicated, ventilated, tanked room adjacent to the pool, with a floor drain, good head height and a door wide enough for a filter to pass through. For indoor pools, add space for the air handling unit and its ductwork, or a separate plant area for it.
Structure and waterproofing. The shell design, the interface with the building slab and the movement joints all need agreeing between the structural engineer and the pool specialist, and the waterproofing strategy for the pool hall should be decided at the same time.
Services. Electrical load (a three-phase supply is preferred for anything beyond a small pool), water supply and backwash drainage, and the route for pipework between pool and plant. Underwater lights, inlets, main drains and skimmers are set out on our drawings so the builder can cast them in first time.
Pool hall environment. Air temperature, humidity and air movement across glazing all need designing, and the finishes in the pool hall need to cope with a warm, humid, chlorinated atmosphere. We work with the M&E consultant on the air handling and with you on materials.
What we provide. Setting-out drawings (issued as PDF and DXF), a performance specification, a bill of quantities and a tender package, all written to PWTAG, SPATA and NBS standards, with named equipment and equal-and-approved alternatives so your tender can be compared fairly.
For hotels and spas: building a wellness offer that works
Guests now expect more than a pool and a hot tub, and a well-planned thermal circuit is one of the strongest reasons to choose one property over another. The principle is contrast and rest: heat (sauna, steam room, solarium), cold (ice room, plunge pool, experience showers) and somewhere calm to recover in between (relaxation lounge, essence or salt room). Guests move around the circuit at their own pace, which spreads demand and keeps each room comfortable.
The practical side matters just as much. Commercial pools and spas must meet PWTAG guidance on water treatment, bather load and plant capacity; steam rooms and saunas need robust, serviceable equipment and vapour-proof construction; ventilation has to cope with heat, humidity and a constant flow of people; and every room should be easy to clean, easy to maintain and safe for staff to run. Getting the plant right means the offer keeps working in year five as well as on opening day.
We help operators and their design teams shape the circuit, size the plant, specify and procure the equipment and manage installation through to commissioning and staff training. If you are at feasibility stage and want an honest view of what a site can support, that is the best moment to talk.