Streamline Swim Academy is an indoor pool facility in New Plymouth, which was conceived by Brad and Amy Fale. They recognised a community need for swimming lessons that was not being met and found that their students needed a great challenge as they became more advanced swimmers. These experienced business owners had their customers’ needs as a priority. They also wanted to ensure that the building was practical and energy efficient.

Indoor Pool Heating and Ventilation Design, Consultation, and Installation at Streamline Swim Academy

HWHP (Hot Water Heat Pumps Ltd) participated in the project after recommendations from pool builder Aaron Hinton, along with research and comparisons of alternative options by architect William Giesen. HWHP’s tackled the design, construction and installation of a complete indoor pool heating and ventilation system that included heating the main pool (144m2 to 28°C) and the toddler pool (40m2 to 33°C) , air heating and air distribution for the pool hall to control condensation, underfloor heating and heated air for the changing rooms and hot water for the showers and amenities. Three important modifications were made to the preliminary plans. These were driven by HWHP to raise the function and longevity of the building:

• Ensuring adequate insulation of the roof and external wall structure. This minimises unnecessary heat loss from the pool enclosure during the colder months and reduces energy input for heating.

• Underfloor heating in the changing rooms to provide a comfortable environment for customers and to promote evaporation of water from the floor surface which in turn increases health and safety. Where possible, HWHP recommends all indoor pool facilities implement underfloor
heating in the changing rooms to assist in maintaining the indoor environment. Clients who have installed underfloor heating, despite any initial apprehension, are always grateful that they did. The patronage and warm response they receive from their customers warrants it.
 

• The initial design for the mechanical room housing the pool filtration system, heat pump and Vent-Air equipment was too small. Thankfully, HWHP and Bonnifait + Giesen were able to work together to quickly overcome this difficulty. The mechanical room was enlarged and four smaller Duoheat heat pumps and Vent-Air air handlers were used rather than one or two larger units. The use of four heat pumps also allowed for greater control over part load and full load heating requirements. The installation and commissioning of the equipment at Streamline Swim Academy was completed in late 2017.

An update with the owners has divulged that the facility has been a great success. The pool environment is welcoming, there is no condensation at all and the underfloor heating in the changing room really helps. Amy said she has appreciated the communication and speed of support.