During the recent Piscina & Wellness Barcelona conference in Malaga, several experts gathered at a professional meeting to discuss the relationship between swimming pools and the outdoor space. Architects, landscapers, builders and businessmen gave the 5 keys to a sustainable outdoor pool: creation of multidisciplinary work teams, efficiency in water use, low energy consumption, environmentally friendly materials and constant maintenance of the pool. 

Pool and exterior design

Each expert addressed from the point of view of their specialty the crucial relationship between the pool and the exterior design that is reflected in any construction or renovation project of a swimming pool for residential or public use. The event, organized by Piscina & Wellness Barcelona with the collaboration of One Drop, the Spanish Association of Landscape Architects, the Association of Hotel Entrepreneurs of the Costa del Sol, AEHCOS, and the sponsorship of Grupo Baeza, brought together more than 50 people and included also with the intervention of several professionals and users from the entire value chain of the pool industry invited to the event, coming especially from the hotel and industrial sector.

The specialists stressed the need to work in multidisciplinary teams, made up of architects, landscapers, maintenance experts and builders specialized in swimming pools to provide a sustainable, efficient, easy-to-maintain and top-quality product that promotes health, rest and welfare.

"The pool integrated into its environment - says Ángel Celorrio, director of Piscina & Wellness Barcelona - constitutes a complex ecosystem, which requires the teamwork of several professionals with different skills. For this reason, we wanted to create a space for debate between the various specialists involved in the construction or rehabilitation process, highlighting the role of the landscaper as a key figure to create balanced, functional and sustainable spaces. This global concept not only contributes to improving aesthetics, but also increases the value and quality of a property."

For his part, the pool market director of the Baeza Group, Antonio Díaz, assured that "the industry is already capable of providing systems and equipment that drastically reduce the consumption of a pool's resources, as well as technological solutions that make its maintenance easier and more precise".

© Iber Coverpool / Nextpool

Creation of eco-friendly outdoor areas

Experts point out that the architectural project must adapt to the geographical conditions of the space to take advantage of natural energy sources, and incorporate water regeneration systems and recycle it for irrigation.

Likewise, it is essential that the pool is sustainable, that is, that it works with a minimum of resources. For this, three factors are valued: water, energy and chemicals. These vectors, treated appropriately, determine the efficiency and sustainability of the whole.

Water and energy savings can also be optimized by installing a state-of-the-art heat pump combined with the pool cover. Together, these two elements can save 90% of water through evaporation and reduce 90% of the electricity consumption necessary to heat water in heated pools. Innovative solutions based on aerothermal energy also take advantage of the thermal energy of the air to heat the pool even at low temperatures, with up to 80% of the energy coming from the air. In this context, the use of LEDs for lighting adds another 10% to the savings in electricity consumption.

© ROOS Freizeitanlagen

As far as filtration is concerned, the use of robotic pool cleaners and high-efficiency filters that use sand, glass or even plants - a method used in biological pools - as a filter medium also provide greater efficiency, since they reduce the need to use chemicals for disinfection. The application of low salinity salt electrolysis technologies is another solution that represents a significant reduction in chemical consumption, as well as ultraviolet radiation.

The construction of the pool is another key element: construction systems that incorporate reused materials, stainless steel or modular panels largely contribute to greater efficiency and sustainability.

According to experts, another fundamental element is pool maintenance: consistency and care of the pool, making the most of digitalization and automation represents a significant saving of resources.

© Bild Marco Weidner Schwimmbadtechnik

All the news in Piscina & Wellness Barcelona

The future has already arrived with the latest innovative solutions that will help overcome the challenges of the industry, and Piscina & Wellness Barcelona will show it with the help of leading companies, also offering spaces for reflection to consolidate itself as a sectorial meeting and business centre. Organized by Fira de Barcelona with the support of the Spanish association of the pool industry ASOFAP, the trade fair offers products, accessories and technological innovations for residential and public use swimming pools, as well as facilities and equipment related to wellness, spa, fitness and decoration. 

The trade fair will offer more than 300 exhibitors, 68% international from 25 countries, and will include different experiential spaces, such as the "Outdoor Living Experience", dedicated to landscaping and decoration of outdoor areas, the 'Innovation Zone' with the most innovative technological solutions, and the 'Wellness Experience', a fully operational wellness centre with an active pool and the latest equipment for the different rooms of this type of establishment.

The event will also be the setting for the Piscina & Wellness Barcelona Awards; the Wellness Experience Awards, and the awards from the International Student Architecture Competition. 

The competition for the Piscina & Wellness Awards will reward innovations committed to greater sustainability and savings, focused on optimizing resources, product efficiency and improving user comfort. In this competition, swimming pool products are presented in the Innovative Connectivity Product and Innovative Sustainability Product categories.