Only our waves have a trough, this is where the power is, and this is how you make top to bottom tubes. The waves do not need to bend in order to align with the gradient like some other wave pool designs. The waves are created at the same angle as a perfect point break, but can still be varied to be more angled or less angled. Only with the Kelvin wake and our highly responsive hull drive system is all of that possible. In a nutshell you need a high wave rate, you need to make waves that surfers want, and you need to be able to change those waves from year to year, day to day, wave to wave or even during the ride. Graduate the wave shape and size from the softest easiest beginner waves to the most demanding piping barrels, and you will not just fulfil thousands of surfers but you will totally stoke that same number. Only with a massive wave rate can huge numbers of surfers be fulfilled. Our new pool configuration uses the well proven wave making principles derived over a decade of experimentation, analysis and refinement, and applies those principles to the new end pool gradients, to offer a stunning 2500 waves per hour. You need thousands of surfers per day, and to get that number you need tens of thousands of waves. And of course that does sound reasonable, but if the wave pool isn’t making money it will be because too few surfers per hour are getting fulfilled, and without many surfers passing through the gates, neither the pool nor the ancillary income streams will be firing. Statements like this were common: “What you build around the pool is where the real profit lies”. The concept of a ‘wave rate’ for example, so tied to the potential success of any commercial pool, was never a feature of any of the hype that was projected in order to convince investors to part with their money.
These three elements are key: wave rate, wave shape and wave control. So in a sense we feel as though we are defining and creating an industry by not only fulfilling a list of key criteria but actually setting up that list in the first place. “We’ve heard from planners in the United States and Canada who are looking into it as an option for their communities.Webber Wave Pools has evolved its core wave making system over 10 years to adapt to an industry which has never provided one commercially successful pool. “One challenge is that it needs to be in an environment where the regeneration basin vegetation and microbes can thrive, so, for example, it won’t work in a place like Phoenix,” Lindahl said. During the recycling process, the water streams through biological filters into a nearby regeneration basin, which contains about 7,000 aquatic plants.Īfter this North American premiere, there has been interest from other communities regarding the logistics of adding their own natural swimming pools. Holding 500,000 gallons of water which are recycled every 12 hours, the Webber Park pool cleans its swimming water through a combination of filtration, aquatic plants, and bacteria and microorganisms that feed on harmful bacteria. Developers say a chemical-free pool is better for the environment and for swimmers. While natural swimming pools are common in Europe, this is the first public pool in North America to clean water through bioengineered simulated wetland instead of chemicals. Landform led the design efforts, managed the design subconsultants and assisted with project management. In 2011, Olson helped launch the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board’s master planning process, which eventually led to the development of the Webber Park Natural Swimming Pool. The 500-swimmer capacity pool has had a long journey to development, beginning more than five years ago.
“This pool provides a pristine lake-like experience, so that swimmers can enjoy the water without the chemical smell and feel of chlorine,” said Kendra Lindahl, principal planner at Landform Professional Services. And now, thanks to the vision of Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board Commissioner Jon Olson and the commitment of his development team, swimmers at North Minneapolis’ Webber Park just might feel as if they’re swimming in lake number 11,843. The actual number of lakes in Minnesota is 11,842. (pool house)Įngineer: Landform Professional Services LLC (civil), Engineering Design Initiative (plumbing, mechanical and electrical)Įditor’s note: This is the 24 th installment in Finance & Commerce’s Top Projects of 2015 series, which profiles the 26 honorees through Sept. Architect: Landform Professional Services LLC (landscape) Collaborative Design Group Inc.