Unconventional Construction of Swimming Pool in Jihlava: First the Interior, Then the Roofing

The builders at Metrostav DIZ and BERNDORF BÄDERBAU s.r.o. are finishing the outer shell of a new indoor swimming pool at the Water Paradise complex in Jihlava. The 25 m sports pool with three lanes is being built on the site of an original swimming pool, which was demolished, and in the immediate vicinity of the indoor pool at the aquapark, which serves more for relaxation and family trips.

The construction work is being carried out in a way that is unconventional, but logistically feasible: the builders will first install the stainless steel pool structure into the reinforced concrete tub and technology before sealing the building envelope. The new pool should open before this autumn’s swimming season.

“If we had done the roof first, we wouldn’t have had a way to get the stainless steel structure inside, despite the fact that it consists of several segments that we welded together on site. Even so, it was a very demanding job – the tolerable deviations at 25 meters are quite low, so we had to weld precisely and then verify the accuracy very carefully. In order to prevent the structure from being damaged by the weather or subsequent construction, we protected it with geotextiles and formwork after installation,” explained Vojtěch Pola, project manager at Metrostav DIZ.

“Since the construction site is about one metre from the nearest glass surface by the indoor pool, we had to completely protect all the surrounding structures. It was even necessary to support the existing slide, so that it could remain in operation. Due to the confined space, we were also unable to use excavators everywhere, and in some places we had to use a crane to help with the earthworks,” he added.

The project began last autumn with the demolition of the original circular pool. This was followed by the foundations for the new pool on large-diameter piles and the construction of the building skeleton itself. During the excavation works, the builders at Metrostav DIZ had to cope with the presence of a large number of utilities that supply the water park complex. Now that the building skeleton is complete, work on the aluminium and masonry envelope structures will continue. Finally, there is one more challenge in the form of a connection to the existing indoor pool structure, which will probably require partial dismantling of the façade.

Jihlava’s Water Paradise is the largest swimming pool in the Highlands. Until now, however, it lacked an indoor swimming pool for fitness and recreational swimming for the public. The new pool’s advantage lies in its stainless steel structure, which is more durable and less demanding for maintenance and cleaning compared to the previously-used tiles.

The new swimming pool is being built by an association between Metrostav DIZ and BERNDORF BÄDERBAU s.r.o. called Water Paradise Jihlava, for the investor Jihlava City Services. Construction began last autumn and should be completed this autumn. The construction work is being carried out with the indoor part of the Water Paradise in full operation. The outdoor water park will open in June.

Metrostav DIZ is becoming a specialist in the construction and reconstruction of indoor and outdoor swimming pools, among other things. In recent years, it has executed such projects in Vrchlabí, Brno, Česká Lípa, Znojmo and Karviná. The company has now also won a contract for the reconstruction of a swimming pool in Liberec.

Contact details

Radim Mana
Metrostav Group Spokesman
Metrostav a.s. Koželužská 2450/4 180 00 Prague 8
T 266 019 715, M 601 110 376
radim.mana@metrostav.cz, www.metrostav.cz