After being closed for repairs for more than a year, the Richmond Swim Center in Richmond, Calif., has reopened thanks in part to an aluminum-framed retractable roof designed by a Canadian manufacturer.
The renovated facility was a result of the collaborative effort between the City of Richmond’s architect, Mark Albertson of Architects-MA and OpenAire of Oakville, Ont. Due to the significant roof damage, the building’s four large glue-laminated wooden rafters were reshaped from straight double-slope beams into seamlessly curving 35-m (114-ft) arches to align with the existing masonry walls every 7.3 m (24 ft). To install the roof, which measures 22 x 35 m (72 x 115 ft), OpenAire designed a large, double-slope structure to form the roof above the new rafters. Although the laminated beams and retractable roof appear to continuously connect, the roof rests only on the tangent points of the beams.
To avoid the same problem from happening again, the roof was designed with 16 operable sliding panels to allow natural light and fresh air into the pool area during warm weather, while in cold or inclement weather, facility operators can close the panels at the touch of a button.
“The lightweight aluminum frame supporting the roof structure is corrosion-proof and vented to prevent damage from chlorine and other pool chemicals in the air,” says OpenAire’s president and CEO, Mark Albertine. “The sliding bay panels also provide ventilation and sunlight in fair weather, reducing the need for air conditioning, humidity control, and lighting by approximately 27 per cent.”
