In March 2014, Szostak Design and Counsilman-Hunsaker were commissioned by the City of Durham General Services Department to prepare a comprehensive assessment of the city’s five aquatic facilities and four spraygrounds. The team collected existing documentation, performed detailed site surveys of each facility and interviewed numerous aquatics department staff members. During this initial phase of […]
In May 2016, Schorr Architects, Inc. commissioned Counsilman-Hunsaker to provide a swimming pool audit. The Ohio Department of Natural Resources commissioned this audit to assist in identifying items that were substandard or not operating as designed. Counsilman-Hunsaker evaluated the existing outdoor and indoor bodies of water, with an evaluation of their respective mechanical systems, and […]
Three types of race courses are typically used with 50-meter pools: 25-yard, 25-meter and 50-meter. 25-yard courses are often used for high school and college competitive swimming. These can be set up in several different ways. For instance, you can either start or end from the bulkhead, and swim toward or away from the deep end. […]
VE or Value Engineering. Two words everyone on a project hates to hear (except for contractors and others that have found out how to work the system). What is Value Engineering? Often times when a project is over-budget, the owner, contractor, and design team will meet to find ways to reduce the cost of the […]
In the grand scheme of a pool design, many people stop the design process once all major decisions (pool size, shape, perimeter style, system equipment, etc.) have been made. After all, it is just a hole in the ground filled with water. However, this is when some of the smaller items can go unnoticed, be […]
The human body is sensitive to water temperature. It can even discern a water temperature differential as small as .5°F. Thus, the temperature of water varies between pools to correlate with the aquatic activity that will occur in the pool. This may be a temperature of 80°F for a 50-meter competition pool, 84°F for an […]
Unfortunately, we are surrounded by reports of violence and acts of terrorism that feel too close to home every day. Operating facilities serve thousands of people every day. And while this is an incredible opportunity, there is also great responsibility associated with that. Is your facility prepared to handle an emergency situation? Is your staff […]
A water tightness test is a procedure that is used to determine if a water-holding vessel is free of leaks. Water tightness testing includes three main steps: filling the vessel(s) with water, monitoring and measuring the water level of the vessel(s) over a prolonged period of time, and analyzing the measurements and observations recorded during […]
The modern family is very busy and sometimes has limited family fun time. Because of this, it’s important for family outings to allow the entire family to be able to have fun. Water parks certainly fall under this category, as kids and adults alike enjoy spending time cooling off in the water. But there are […]
Besides the obvious fact that indoor pools are built inside of a building while outdoor pools are built outside, there are many additional differences between them that need to be considered during the design process. When it comes to outdoor pool design, one of the biggest things to consider is seasonal changes and how they might […]
