Olympic Pool

About the Wezenberg Olympic Pool

Wide vertical roller systems for the glass wall of a swimming pool

The Wezenberg Olympic Swimming Pool opened in 2002, after extensive renovations. The facility is an official training pool where Flemish athletes train and where major championships are held. A glazed façade allows the space to benefit from natural light and heat and the users to enjoy extensive views of the outdoors.

The original specification to provide solar protection was to apply a reflective film to the glass. Standard roller blinds had already been discounted by the design team due to the sheer size of the glass façade.

In practice, the film did not provide sufficient protection for the users, the heat and glare creating an uncomfortable environment.

Guthrie Douglas’ TESS™ 312 systems were proposed to be retrofit, for their strength and stability in extra large spaces, covering up to 6m widths with one system. The corrosive environment of a swimming pool led us to create a specially adapted system with marine grade coating to withstand the humidity and high concentration of chloride in the atmosphere, as well as the use of a specialist antibacterial fabric.

The result is a solution which provides protection from the sun when needed, is invisible when not needed and most importantly, can deliver all this under the testing conditions.  The systems have now been in place for nearly 15 years and have required only standard maintenance.

Guthrie Douglas systems can be bespokely designed to meet any building’s requirements. Read about the unique adaptation we engineered for the domed atrium in Paris’ historic Le Bon Marché.