Cast-concrete accessories: Installing artificial rock features at aquatic facilities

by arslan_ahmed | April 3, 2023 6:00 am

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By Zavian Camacho

Builders renovating commercial aquatic facilities are looking for ways to help them attract patrons. This often means looking for ways to create a “waterpark” feel around the pool. Rock work can immediately give an aquatic facility a waterpark feel, but rather than wrangling real stones and boulders, builders using artificial rock can build structures much larger and safer. They also have the ability to design and build in a much more controlled way. There are many ways to use artificial rock, for example, around slides, climbing walls, or as other entertaining water features to inspire some “waterpark wow” at any size aquatic facility.

Slides

Thanks to new manufacturer offerings, combining cast-concrete artificial rocks with slides is the perfect way to fill the space around and below a slide, making it feel more “integrated” into the aquatic facility while also covering unsightly slide support columns. Glass fibre reinforced concrete (GFRC) panels are a great way to cover unattractive support columns under waterslides. GFRC panels are particularly well-suited to filling the space behind, under, and around the slide structure. Longer, waterpark-style slides need support columns along the length of the slide. These columns are usually created with cinder blocks or concrete columns that can be unattractive. The GFRC panels are simply bolted together around the slide structure to cover these support columns.

Due to the simplicity of bolting the cast-concrete panels together, covering the area around the slide takes a fraction of the time it would take if using real rock. Manufacturers now also provide systems to create rock staircases for swimmers to get to the top as well. Some builders even create storage areas with doors under slides to maximize this space.

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Depending on the height and length of the slide, GFRC panels can cover a lot of surface area much faster than trying to use real boulders and rocks. One of the greatest benefits of these rocks and panels is they weigh much less than real rock. Despite the lighter weight, artificial rocks are made of concrete and reinforced with rebar; they are not made of foam. These steel-reinforced rocks are structurally sound but weigh about one-fifth less than real boulders. Weight and structural engineering ensure against collapsing decks or rocks sliding into the pool. In fact, cast-concrete artificial rocks are structurally superior and cost approximately half the price of natural stone. This makes them an attractive option not just for builders, but also for aquatic facility budgets.

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In fact, GFRC panels make it easy for builders to create structures around slides with a predetermined final look, a predictable timeline, and reduced labour costs. As any builder who has worked with real rocks knows, procuring, moving, and placing boulders and stones in an attractive and structurally sound arrangement can take an inordinate amount of time from start to finish. It is often said, working with real rocks and boulders is an improvisational art because no two rocks are alike and piecing them together on-site can take an effort of many days or weeks. However, artificial rock and GFRC panels are designed expressly for stacking and colour matching—significantly reducing the amount of time to complete a project. Every artificial rock component and GFRC panel is finished and ready for the builder to assemble. The client can look at catalogue images and the various combinations of moulded panels which are engineered to come together quickly and easily. Commercial pools looking to incorporate long, fun, waterpark-style slides find artificial rock one of the most affordable ways to create a thrilling and “waterpark-like” atmosphere. Besides the main differences of natural to faux, both products can also be used with each other to create a visually appealing project.

For building caves and grottos around slides, builders only need to backfill these structures with concrete. Builders can also offer pool slides for both indoor and outdoor installations and surround them with the artificial rocks. Using standard kits, builders can get creative and combine different kits to obtain a unique design that is much easier to build, is cost-efficient, and will yield a predictable final look.

Prior to component systems, most builders were not interested in offering rockwork around slides. However, the trend toward adding water features with slides on pools can now be embraced, as trained builders can add artificial rock component systems as part of their repertoire.

Climbing walls

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Climbing walls are all the rage at commercial aquatic facilities. Using new “climbing wall” castings, builders are now able to create climbing walls on pools that look like real stone structures. Made of high-tech concrete, these climbing wall castings even have natural handles designed into them for safety when climbing and jumping back into the pool. The panels are sold individually, making them ideal for custom installations.

Aquatic facilities and designers that want to add “waterpark thrills” to their pools frequently combine slides with climbing walls. These work well on indoor and outdoor aquatic facilities. The GFRC panels lend themselves to creating a structurally sound feature that is lightweight and lends itself to customization. The panels even come in several colours to match the surrounding esthetic of the facility. Rock-climbing handholds are also easy to attach to GFRC panels, to quickly turn them into a wall everyone wants to climb and then jump back into the pool water.

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These GFRC panels are readily available, easy to ship, and look real because they are cast from real rock—creating the same shape, character, and texture—making it hard to tell the difference between cast concrete and real stone.

Water features

Large water features, including grottos and waterfalls, are almost expected at many high-end commercial pools. Depending on the aquatic facility, these types of water features can be quite large; in fact, one recent installation at a high-end waterpark resort used an artificial rock component system to create a large, one-of-a-kind custom waterfall and grotto combination. This feature used approximately 185 m² (2000 sf) of GFRC panels. This particular grotto-style water feature incorporated a one-piece “stream section,” which was engineered to provide a precise pathway for the water coming off of the feature by using a simple, pre-designed formation of smaller rocks—imitating the natural rock pathway found in a stream. One of the greatest benefits of these component kit systems is the fact they have been designed to ensure proper water flow back into the pool and not on decks or the water feature itself. It can be challenging for builders using natural rock to get the water to flow in the desired direction. When water gathers on decks, this standing water can lead to slippery algae growth, or even fractures in mortar and cement, especially in freeze-thaw regions. This is where artificial rock can really help builders ensure a functional final product that enhances the aquatic environment.

Smaller water features made of cast-concrete rock are also highly effective at creating soothing sounds with cascading water to enhance the appeal of commercial aquatic facilities. Aquatic facilities with lazy rivers have found lining the river with artificial rock and cascading water gives it extra esthetic appeal.

Light them up

Beyond being attractive to the eye, cast-concrete artificial rock features are also easy to illuminate for nighttime pizzazz. Since the rocks are made of concrete, they can be custom equipped with lights, as installers can drill into them without difficulty. It is also easy to cut channels into their surfaces to embed long lighting strips which illuminate the rockwork. The objective is to hide the light source within the water feature around the slide, creating a fascinating glow as the lights are dimmed or as the sun sets. Further, lighting within artificial rock also adds dazzle and warmth. Even if the aquatic facility is not open at night, nighttime lighting will attract those passing by, making them the perfect marketing tool.

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In addition to esthetics and marketing, lighting is also important for safety—especially on a pool slide where the staircase leading to the top may need extra illumination. The electricity for lights is easy to run behind concrete rocks and can be hidden behind panels, which are then also easy to remove to create access points for maintenance needs.

Aquatic facilities looking to update their pools and add “waterpark wow” should consider the versatile and affordable use of artificial rock to “dress up” slides, create climbing walls, and add water features with lighting options that will become the talk of the town.

Author

Zayvian Camacho is part of the design and fabrication team at Rico Rock, developing new climbing walls and water features and working on commercial aquatic and non-aquatic construction projects. Camacho has a degree in landscape design and has overseen construction for dozens of unique cast-concrete artificial rock projects in backyards, hotel resorts, bowling alleys, zoos, and more. He finds his rock construction work meshes perfectly with his passion for rock climbing. He can be reached at zayvian@ricorock.com.

Source URL: https://www.poolspamarketing.com/leisure/cast-concrete-accessories-installing-artificial-rock-features-at-aquatic-facilities/

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