Pool Membrane

France – The Dolphin Lagoon

The Dolphin Lagoon was located on the site that was once a reed bed at the side of the Orca Pool. During the excavation of the site the ground continually filled with water. This was caused by water leaking from the Orca Pool and flooding the surrounding area. The situation was made worse during unusual periods of heavy rain.

The design of the lagoon had to take into account the effect of groundwater pressure and still provide an economic construction method. The Architect created a pool that would be constructed in a way that would allow the groundwater to permeate behind a flexible membrane and dissipate through the ground without causing any damage to the pool liner. The design called for a ring beam wall formed with poured-in-place concrete and hole formed from compacted earth. A liner would be attached to the ring beam and would span continuously across the compacted ground. A perfect idea if a liner could be found that would be continuous without joints or seams and tough enough to withstand the pressure and stress of both the pool water and the groundwater acting in alternating and opposing differentials.

Using a geomembrane composite of a plastic matrix, sandwiched between a filter membrane in contact with the earth and a fabric laid on top, a watertight membrane would be installed over the composite geomembrane. After thorough investigation a solution was found in a spray applied Hybrid Polyurethane/Polyurea coating.

The coating was applied at a nominal thickness of 3.5mm extending down the concrete wall and throughout the surface of the lagoon. The coating was pigmented in the preferred colour of beige to create a similarity to a sandy bed beneath the water. The Hybrid Polyurethane/Polyurea is available as Robex 5060, supplied and applied by Robex SA. The two component system is accurately metered and pumped through a state of the art machine and spray applied through an impingement mix gun to provide a seamless, tough and flexible membrane that will remain watertight for decades.

There was no other type of lining system that could have been applied under the constant wet conditions that prevailed. Such was the extent of water that a submersible pump continuously ran and was actually left submerged and redundant below the composite liner. Robex 5060 is not affected by wet conditions and will react to form a perfect watertight, tough and flexible membrane even when applied directly onto water.

Robex 5060 will outperforms any other type of material when applied under the same or even similar conditions.