H2O'Brien Outdoor Pool Rejuvenation

Project Details

PROJECT SUMMARY

Constructed in 2002, H2O’Brien Pool, located in the picturesque mountainside town of Parker, Colorado, is one of the area’s most popular attractions, welcoming a high volume of guests during the summer months. After 17 years of well-loved use, many of the facility's amenities had become outdated and in need of repair. With highly inefficient pumping and filtration systems, the facility could no longer meet the needs and expectations of the community it proudly served.

Drawing from decades of industry-related experience, Waterplay was entrusted by the project’s design team to create a new and modern, central play feature that would not only offer high play value but also, fit within the parameters of the existing pool’s infrastructure.

COLLABORATORS:

Architect: Barker Rinker Seacat Architecture | Denver, Colorado, USA

Aquatic Consultant: Water Technology, Inc. | Beaver Dam, Wisconsin, USA

Contractor: Associated Pool Builders | Bismarck, North Dakota, USA

APPROACH

After careful analysis of the facilities’ drawings, the surrounding site, current play value and the potential capacity for a larger play structure, Waterplay’s design and engineering teams determined that an Activity Tower equipped with a high-action dumping bucket would best suit the specific requirements of the existing pool structure. Built to last with strong decks and durable coatings, a multi-level, action-packed Activity Tower, would provide a captivating visitor experience, perfectly adapting to the unique space while still offering exceptional play value.

Working in collaboration with Water Technology Inc., the aquatic consultant, several designs with varying budgets were prepared for the client. After further considerations, one of the options presented was chosen as the foundation for the design and included in the final planning stages.

CHALLENGE

How do you revitalize a facility that is extremely outdated while at the same time greatly loved by its community? Part of the design challenge for this project was to ensure that the footprint of the new play structure fit within the blueprint of the existing pool — inclusive of the existing slopes and the zero-depth entry. Additionally, Town Officials requested that the new play structure include multiple access stairs, a family slide with a large open flume, a giant tipping bucket, and an assortment of interactive easy-to-reach play elements on and off the structure, creating an exciting adventure for waterplayers of all ages.

SOLUTION

Ultimately, a hybrid Kaleidoscope and Grasslands Activity Tower was specified and chosen as the play structure for the renovation project. Affixed to the middle portion of the play structure, an impressive 17'-2" (5223 mm) Sky Soaker dumping bucket thrills crowds with its massive splashes while also, creating a social hub for high-action fun. Gathered below, groups of waterplayers are transfixed by Sky Soakers translucent AquaLume™ bucket that reveals rising water to build anticipation for the next big splash! As a finishing touch and to offer opportunities for hands-on discovery play an assortment of complementary freestanding aquatic play features were thoughtfully placed surrounding the Activity Tower, including the Waterways Waterfall 2, Gully and Basin, the newly released Water Weaver 3 and classic play elements the Solis 24, Funbrella and Misty Twisty. 

In order to finalize design elements pertaining to the project, namely the equipment colours and play features, Waterplay was honored to host an online meeting between the design team and Town Officials. The advanced planning tool, Waterplay Interactive Concept Designer was utilized during the meeting to gather feedback and all requirements for the final design. Interactive Concept Designer, exclusive to Waterplay, is a cutting-edge digital project building application complete with rendering capabilities and product documentation, giving users the ability to create and collaborate anytime, anywhere, eliminating the restrictions of geography. 

BENEFIT

A strong partnership between Waterplay, Town Officials, and the design team, helped to make the design process seamless and problem-free. 2D and 3D project drawings, Revit files, recommended footings, mechanical workbooks with flow rates and technical specifications were provided in a timely and efficient manner by Waterplay’s expert technical support and design engineering teams allowing for aquatic specialists to easily incorporate the necessary documents into their final drawings.

OUTCOME

Opening in May of 2020, the residents and visitors of Parker, Colorado now have a new aquatic facility that includes a vibrantly coloured Activity Tower with exciting elevation changes, spacious play pods for exploration, engaging interactive features, and a main attraction that delivers waves of excitement for the ultimate universal play experience. In addition, with clear sightlines and each section of the play structure a separate colour, life-guarding can now be assigned by pod colour, creating a simplified process for supervision.

Designed to be phased over time for enduring play value, in years to come, the Town of Parker will be able to easily add new play elements and bigger splash effects to their Activity Tower via Waterplay’s playCONNECT™ removable feature mounting system.

CLIENT TESTIMONIAL

“Thank you for taking the time to help us work it through and provide us with the capabilities of Waterplay. We will consider using this method [Waterplay Interactive] in future projects whenever possible. It also lets everyone take part in designing the features. It’s a very nice cleaner process than the back and forth. Nice job!”

– ALDO CORONADO, WTI Senior Project Manager