SWIMMING POOL COMPLEX | HUYTON, LIVERPOOL

Leca® Lightweight Expanded Clay Aggregate is a lightweight, free draining and insulating aggregate, ideal for use in swimming pool surround. It is usual that an indoor pool is constructed and incomplete before the building to house the pool is constructed around it. Access to the pool becomes restricted and the final stages after the process pipework is installed become inaccessible to heavy earth moving machinery making labour installation quite extensive. Surrounding the pool with Leca® Lightweight Expanded Clay Aggregate can make light of this installation and save time in days by using a purpose driven vehicle used to blow the Leca® Lightweight Expanded Clay Aggregate into position.

From a design perspective, the light weight of the Leca® Lightweight Expanded Clay Aggregate reduces the pressure exerted on to the pool perimeter walls and the thermal properties of the Leca® Lightweight Expanded Clay Aggregate help insulate the pool. The rounded and thermal nature of the Leca® Lightweight Expanded Clay Aggregate also make an ideal, protective bedding to the process pipework that surrounds and services the pool with any future maintenance requirement easily accessed.

To give example, Leca® Lightweight Expanded Clay Aggregate contributed to the on-time completion of the stunning newly built £16.1 million Knowsley Leisure and Culture Park swimming pool complex at Huyton, Liverpool, constructed by Balfour Beatty Construction for Knowsley Metropolitan Borough Council.

This aquatic centre features two 25-metre pools, one of which is an eight lane competition pool designed to full international standards. The pools were constructed and using the Leca® UK pneumatic installation unit; the Leca® Lightweight Expanded Clay Aggregate was blown into place to fill the surround of the two pools which were then finished to provide the wide perimeter walkways.

FACTS

Amount of material: Over 1900m3 of LECA® LWA (10-20mm) was installed for this project

Interesting Fact: The rounded and thermal nature of the Leca® Lightweight Expanded Clay Aggregate also make an ideal, protective bedding to the process pipework that surrounds and services the pool with any future maintenance requirement easily accessed.

Delivery Method: Delivered through Pneumatic Delivery

Main Contractor: Balfour Beatty

LECA® LWA ALSO PROVIDES HIGH LEVELS OF INSULATION TO MAINTAIN THE POOL TEMPERATURE STABILITY.

The Leca® Lightweight Expanded Clay Aggregate filled the void that also carries the many water pipes that run from surface skimmers and the return services from the huge filter and purification complex. The lightweight properties of the Leca® Lightweight Expanded Clay Aggregate reduced the weight pressure on the sidewalls of the pool, allowing the fill to be completed before water was introduced. Leca® Lightweight Expanded Clay Aggregate also provides high levels of insulations which helps maintain the pool temperature stability.

MARK MCCALL, BALFOUR BEATTY PROJECT MANAGER HAD USED LECA® LWA PREVIOUSLY

Mark McCall, Balfour Beatty Project Manager for this superb project has used Leca® Lightweight Expanded Clay Aggregate previously for a similar pool application. “We required 1093m3 of the Leca® LWA once the pools had been constructed. Access and time is always limited on this type of project but using Leca® Lightweight Expanded Clay Aggregate and having it delivered and blown straight for the transport in to place only then requires the minimum of placement and simple compaction, I had used Leca® Lightweight Expanded Clay Aggregate before and specified the advantages for this project.”

Only two to three labourers are required to install the Leca® Lightweight Expanded Clay Aggregate during this type of installation, one to hold the hose and direct the flow of Leca® being blown in to position and one to rake the Leca® Lightweight Expanded Clay Aggregate level and then compact in 600mm layers using a small and easily manageable vibrating plate compactor.