UFRJ, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro

This is an appropriate comment for Myrtha Pools’ engineering efforts in the rebuilding of this competitive pool which is located in the center of the campus of one of the greatest universities in Brazil and one of the best academic and research centres in Latin America.

Their existing 50m swimming-pool, built many years ago with materials that did not last the test of time, was in a state of total disrepair. So were the filter systems and the poor deck foundations made walking alongside the pool quite dangerous.

The pool structure was repaired by a combination of technological solutions: RenovAction and Myrtha. RenovAction to refit the inside of the original pool, Myrtha as a solution to make the swimming-pool deeper. A 70cm section of Myrtha panels were installed on the outer flooring of the swimming pool, bringing the pool depth to 3 m. A new deck was built, flush with the new panels, to cover the existing flooring and the new exposed piping.

After these renovations, Myrtha handed back a functional, completely safe and top-quality facility to the University. Another daunting challenge faced by Myrtha on this and other projects, was the extremely tough weather conditions: 40 days of rain interupted the first three of the four months build schedule at this outdoor facility.

Special attention was given to the mechanical room which had significant space restrictions. Four out of date sand filters were replaced with one single large Defender filter to free up valuabe working space. The Defender is able to provide much better filtration quality and faster turnover, removing 99.9% of impurities and keeping the water constantly clean and suitable for swimming. The new design was laid out on two levels providing easy access to the servicing staff to the chemical treatment room where the water is disinfected and locating the electric panels in the space between.