When should I hire an Aquatic Designer?

Aquatic Technology Pool & Spa
Paolo Benedetti

When should I get an aquatic architect or swimming pool designer involved on my design team for the swimming pool at my new luxury high-end multi-million dollar estate?

EASY ANSWER: AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. This is for a number of reasons...

First & foremost, you want your project to be thoroughly thought through. The more time allowed for the design team to consult with one another, the increased likelihood that the actual construction will occur more efficiently.

Secondly, you want to be able to hire the best that you can afford. THE BEST in any industry or trade are always busy, regardless of the economy. The sooner you retain their services, the more apt you are to find their schedules available to you.

Next, the sooner you have your "dream team" together, the sooner they can begin assembling their collective thoughts. The Aquatic Designer will have a lot of the same questions that your architect has...


Budget - So they can try to design within your budget. No need designing something spectacular, to be way out of the client's budget. Some clients want "ART," and as such, have to be a little looser with the budget. There will be some R&D (Research & Development AND Rework & Demolition) in creating unusual & unique effects.

Lines of sight - what do you want to see & hear from various locations??

Where & how the various angles of the site & proposed structures work together.

Selecting compatible materials... visually to each other, compatible for the intended use, and the compatible lifespan/performance.

How the controls will interface seamlessly.... Doing this after the fact is never easy, nor seamless. It is best that all of the installers of the various control systems on the estate, start early to identify incompatibility issues. There are a myriad of systems to consider & it all depends on how seamless the client wants them to be [HVAC, Security, CCTV, Audio/Video, Lighting (interior, exterior, low voltage & High voltage), telephone, LAN/WAN, landscape controls (pool/spa functions, landscape lighting, fountains, etc.].

Future growth on the site - I call this the "DREAM STATE." If the client built out the estate exactly as they envision, regardless of the time frame, how would it finish? This is where the term "VALUE ENGINEERING," originates from. Plan ahead & spend a little more money now, to save a lot more money in the future. Example: A client desires additional buildings on the estate in the future. It is best to plan for those buildings now, by installing electrical, data, & phone conduits through the foundation, roughing in gas, sewer & water lines beyond the current construction, etc. This is value engineering - planning for growth. This is all so the client does not have to tear out portions of the current project (in todays dollars) to install the infrastructure needs for a future project. And repair the torn out sections with tomorrow's dollars.

ROI - How long will the client really be in this property? We can oftentimes be the voice of reason, when making decisions. However, sometimes there are particular facets that the client just must have for intrinsic reasons, or because they are pleasing to them. Equipment, material, & finish selections and installation practices can all be based upon these criteria. If the client is only going to own the residence for a few years, does it make sense to build to a 100 year standard? Sometimes, the answer is yes, because they want to build a legacy, create something that will stand the test of time.


Engineering - once the engineering has been completed, the design oftentimes has to be reworked (plumbing, electrical, design elevations, etc.) to allow for the structural elements (reinforcing steel & proper concrete thicknesses). The Aquatic Designer knows the engineers that specialize in swimming pools & speaks their "lingo." The Aquatic Designer will know how the layers of the pool will be built & how to plan for the various stages. This is critical when performing the structural engineering.

Schedule - the sooner the team is assembled, the more likely that the plans will be completed on time. Waiting until the house is under construction to begin the landscaping & pool designs is way too late. Oftentimes, getting involved at this point, we are left trying to shoehorn an elephant into a gopher hole. Sometimes the design has become way too complicated & intricate, without the input of someone who actually knows how to dig it, frame it, plumb it, & build it. Trying to get involved at this stage, involves a lot of reworking, realigning, and redrawing. The static loads of a swimming pool are incredible. Once they start bearing upon other structures, something in the design has to give.

Creative Collaboration - Many Aquatic Designers have an extensive background in architecture, art, color theory, spatial relationships, material science, as well as construction & "water." They can lend ideas to refine elements of the design, drawing on their experience with water, their world travels, and even experience on other design teams. It make sense to capitalize upon that experience - gained from working with International Renown Architects, Designers, and Experts that other people assembled for their projects?

Get an Aquatic Designer involved early on, so the project is as seamless as possible... after all isn't it the goal to have water elements that are part of the scene... belonging seamlessly to the architecture or landscape, as if something was missing if they were not there?


Paolo Benedetti - Aquatic Artist
"Creating water as art."™
Aquatic Technology Pool & Spa
©www.aquatictechnology.com

Graeme Baker Pool & Spa Safety Act

Aquatic Technology Pool & Spa
Paolo Benedetti

Graeme Baker Safety Act (GMSA) is quickly becoming the trojan horse for more pork barrel legislation. The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is set to begin hearings on the Graeme Baker Safety Act.

If passed as it is currently written, you will be required to use a SVRS device (Vac Alert, Stingl Switch, etc.), dual drains (which should always be done anyway), and other MANDATED precautions. This will result in an more expensive swimming pool.

Because the swimming pool industry has been lead by morons for so long, the government is stepping in and mandating that we incorporate devices for the public safety.

Special Interests (people out to make a buck) have seized upon these unfortunate series of events, to utilize impending legislation as their "TROJAN HORSE." They are sneaking in the back door, having their company's devices MANDATED upon us.

The morons that run the largest swimming pool trade associations, were not bright enough to see this coming. Nor did they possess the intellect to counter these special interest arguments with one very simple irrefutable fact...

SUCTION ENTRAPMENT CAN BE AVOIDED THROUGH THE USE OF LOWER LINE VELOCITIES.

Larger pipes, smaller pumps, and balanced dual suctions will solve the issue FOREVER. No special devices needed. What should be mandated, is lower line velocities... PERIOD! And as a side benefit, the consumers will benefit through lower energy use and less pump noise. Additionally, this will assist in meeting all of the new wave of energy legislation, such as CA's new title 24 energy regulations.

By the way, no mention was made of line velocities in the new Title 24 regulations either. So, I bet that some builder will jump at the chance to use 1" pipe on a 3/4 HP pump. "It's a smaller pump, so why not use a smaller pipe too?"

Safe & Green... hmm, wonder if we can get Al Gore to claim this as his bright idea and shout it from the international podium!

This is why the Genesis 3 Design Group was founded.... smarter pool designers & builders, doing it smarter. This is why I am a ardent supporter of Genesis 3, am one of the Platinum members, am one of the first to receive certification from the Society of Water Shape Designers, and why I teach at their construction courses. This is also why I am blamed for using "over-sized pipes."

It is time to place pressure upon your state legislator, trade association, industry lobby, & ASME (American Society of Mechanical Engineers - of which, I also happen to be a member).

I was very disappointed to see an organization such as ASME, not stand up to these special interest groups when they were writing the standards. The ASME standards were later adopted by the UBC (Uniform Building Code), and will find themselves into many local & state building departments (if they have not already). The ASME guys are mechanicals engineers, and there is NO MENTION of line velocities. Makes you wonder if there was a pay-off somewhere... to keep the ASME M.E.'s from even mentioning what they spent 4 years learning about in college! Engineers forgetting the basics of their education....

You can read about the testing they performed to validate their premises.... such as 3 H.P. pumps on 2 inch lines, to illustrate the dangers of improper mechanical design. Go to:
http://www.vac-alert.com/building_health.html

Read the dual drain/vent limitation testing. You can read about how they fabricated such outrageous tests (like the 3 HP/2" pipe) to validate their products and defeat alternatives. These were fabricated tests, utilized to falsely justify the need for special interest SVRS devices.

You will notice that in none of the standards, impending legislation, or in their "PAID FOR TESTS," did anyone have the brains to say:

"WHY DON'T WE JUST LEGISLATE LOWER LINE VELOCITIES?"

The line velocity could be so low that even if the drain cover was missing... guess what? Maybe a stubbed toe, but NO ENTRAPMENT HAZARD!

Come on everyone, it's time for the SMART & SILENT MAJORITY GET PISSED OFF AND TO SPEAK UP!


Paolo Benedetti - Aquatic Artist
"Creating water as art."™
Aquatic Technology Pool & Spa
©www.aquatictechnology.com