Ouray Hot Springs Swimming Pool
Ouray, Colo.
Architect: Anderson Hallas Architects
Landscape Architect: DHM Design
Aquatic Designer/Consultant: Cloward H2O
General Contractor: FCI Constructors
Pool/Spa/Waterfeature Contractor: The Pool Company
Rock work: Colorado Hardscapes
Peak design
For 90 years, the Ouray Hot Springs Swimming Pool has served residents and tourists visiting the scenic San Juan Mountains. The time came for an update, and city officials wanted to broaden the pool’s appeal and increase capacity from 80 to 400 people.
IlluminArts Photography
The design team kept as much of the pool’s original oval outline as possible, but divided it into five pools. Each accommodates different activities and temperatures. This allows Ouray Hot Springs to operate some vessels all year long, while closing others in the off-season to conserve geothermal heat.
From certain angles, the San Juans almost appear to physically embrace the space, so they provided the aesthetic cues. Sweeping curves and undulating lines outline the pools, adding an organic feel so background and foreground meld easily. This also serves functional purposes, such as mapping better pathways for foot traffic.
Local boulder accents on the deck and the carefully detailed faux-rock climbing wall also tie in with the mountains.
Despite the larger capacity and kinetic features such as two slides and the climbing wall, the design team wanted to preserve intimate scaling. With multiple pools, users feel less crowded, while curves in the walls create cozy gathering nooks.
SUPPLIERS:
– Circulation systems/gutters/ filtration/white goods: Neptune-Benson
– Controller/control system: Filter Tech Systems
– Guard chairs/safety equipment/pool lifts/starting blocks/racing lines: Spectrum Aquatics
– Heat exchangers: Aqualogic
– Ozone sanitation: Del Ozone
– Pool plaster: SGM
– Pumps: Pentair
– Slides: WhiteWater West Industries
– Slide pump: ITT Marlow