The Leonard J. Kaplan Center for Wellness Natatorium at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro may not be the biggest or most dazzling swimming center on a college campus.

But it arguably may be one of the smartest in the way it blends form, function, and value into a welcome destination center for scores of UNCG students, faculty, and staff.

Just ask a central figure in the natatorium construction, Joe Sandy. Sandy understands Kaplan Aqua Center, as it is sometimes called, as few do.

Sandy is the vice president – project manager at South Carolina-based Paddock Construction Company, a privately-held firm specializing in commercial pool construction. Paddock won the business to build the Kaplan Aqua Center as the low bidder in a three-way competition. That low bid was achieved in part to the company’s:

• Experience. Paddock has built many commercial pool projects, including many 50-meter competition pools and U.S. military’s largest indoor pool at Mayport Naval Station in Jacksonville, Fla.
• Equipment. Paddock Construction’s sister company, Paddock Pool Equipment, is a respected manufacturer of stainless steel perimeter gutters, movable bulkheads, and other pool equipment. “We offered some betterments from Paddock Pool Equipment. That helped win the bid,” Sandy says.

All-Star Project Team
The new pool complex along with the overall recreation facility was needed. The school was making do with an outdated rec center designed for 12,000 students. The most recent UNCG enrollment: 21,170 students. After careful consideration, university officials elected to proceed with the construction of a new wellness and recreation center.

California-based Aquatic Design Group (ADG) was engaged for pool center assessment, planning, and design. The lead architect for the $91 million, 216,000-square-foot facility was Walter Robbs Callahan & Pierce Architects of Winston-Salem, N.C. Skanska USA teamed up Rentenbach Constructors to serve as general contractors.

Outside-In Construction
The construction plan was simple yet challenging for Sandy and his crew: The general contractor would initiate building construction, erecting the natatorium structure over the pool site. Once the pool area was enclosed, Paddock could begin pool excavation and shell placement. “We basically walk into an auditorium that was about 80 percent complete – the walls are up and painted, ceiling work is complete with lights and the HVAC system is in. We had to dig two swimming pools inside the building,” explains Sandy. The Paddock crew had to move a lot of dirt. To make things even more interesting, the handoff to Paddock was delayed by nearly six months.

With an all-star project team assembled, an aggressive timeline compressed by months, and committed to deliver the most expensive project in UNCG’s 128-year history, Sandy wasn’t about to risk the pool-building on anything but the best pool products. The names he turned to were all best-in-class performers, including Pentair the manufacturer of the critical pumps and filtration systems.

Gold Standard Equipment
“We have a good relationship with several pool equipment manufacturers. Then there’s Pentair. Some of their systems are the best in the industry. Pentair circulation pumps and filtration systems are operating right now in the UNCG Natatorium,” Sandy reports.

Sandy then illustrates why Pentair is the gold standard across several key commercial pool applications. He starts with pool lights.

“Their pool lights are probably the best in the industry. Pentair went to the 5G Intellibrites, they’re LED. They last pretty much forever. No matter which aquatic consultant designs the project, you can expect Pentair lights will be in the spec. They’re the industry standard,” he says.

Pentair Advantage
“Some of their pumps are the best in the business,” he continues. “Their C-Series pump has been around a long time because there’s nothing better. They’re just good strong pumps.”

What is a ‘good’ pump? Sandy explains: “They’re just better. They last and Pentair really backs their products. I’ve had older pumps that were out of warranty that they still back them.”

The Paddock Construction vice president is just getting warmed-up on the Pentair advantage. He is not only a big fan of Pentair’s variable frequency drives, but also the way the company supports VFD technology. “Their variable frequency drives are shipped in start-up mode. Once my team gets them set-up and running and commissioned, Pentair sends their experts in to actually set up the VFD to run in the facility as they’re supposed to,” Sandy says.

“Unmatched”
“I see Pentair pumps in so many facilities. We use a lot of their heavier commercial pumps, like the Auroras. Their skimmers and white goods are probably the best you buy,” he adds.

With so much riding on project success, Pentair represents peace of mind on must-not-fail systems like the circulation pumps and filtration systems Paddock installed at UNCG. Sandy reiterates that with “the reliability and dependability of Pentair’s products compared to others is bar none superior. Their customer service is unmatched. We recommend their products to customers because we know they work.”

36 Weeks
With the equipment side accounted for, the Paddock Construction team set about meeting their when-do-you-want-to-swim? deadline. “We’re very good at planning jobs. The one thing we don’t want to do is let the university down or short-hand our jobs with not enough manpower,” he observes.

Paddock began their portion of the project in September 2015. Their delivery date was set for June 29, 2016, scarcely nine months later. Thirty-six weeks to present not one but two pools to the owners – one a 25-meter lap/competition pool, the other a vortex pool with a current that provides therapeutic and athletic training resistance.

“They wanted to open it before the kids come back in September,” Sandy says. Long story short, the Paddock team delivered on time in spite of the delayed start.

Inspired Result
Sandy couldn’t be more pleased by the outcome. “Everything worked out for the best. We have great relationships with vendors and subcontractors, and partnerships with top suppliers like Pentair.”

“We’re working on a project now right down the street from the Kaplan Aquatic Center, so I stop by every so often to see how things are going. I can tell you the students love it,” he says. By all accounts, an inspired blend of form, function, and value.