Project overview
This project is a steel suspended swimming pool at Dubai Hills Estate in Dubai. Wrenze Steel carried out the modelling and design, working for Green Dunes Landscaping as the client.
The render shows the pool raised above an open, covered space. Water is visible through the base of the pool from below, and a single person standing on the floor gives a sense of scale. A planted green wall closes the back of the space.
Our scope
Our scope was modelling and design.
Modelling fixed the geometry of the steel that carries the pool: the main beams, the secondary members under the pool base and the supports. A 3D model gives the pool builder, the landscaping team and the steel fabricator one set of levels and dimensions to work to.
Design covered the members and connections for the loads the structure carries, with the aim of a frame that is safe, economical and simple to fabricate and erect.
The structure
A suspended pool is one of the heaviest loads a steel frame can be asked to carry. Water is dense, so even a shallow pool puts a large and permanent load on its supporting beams. Add the weight of the pool shell, the finishes and the people using it, and the steel must be sized for a load far above that of an ordinary floor.
Deflection matters as much as strength. A pool tank and its waterproofing tolerate very little movement, and a base you can see through is even less forgiving. The supporting beams are sized to keep sag small under full water load, and the connections are detailed so the frame behaves the way the design assumes.
Stiffness also affects comfort. Moving water and people can set a light structure vibrating, so the frame is checked for its dynamic behaviour as well as for strength.
Steel close to a pool sits in a humid environment with chlorinated water nearby. Suitable protective coatings, and details that do not trap water, are part of a sensible design.
See more of our work in Dubai. Read about our structural steel design service, or request a quote for a special steel structure.
