Chicago’s newest boat harbor, 31st Street Marina, recently added a new attraction – a floating swimming pool. Westrec Marinas, which manages the facility on behalf of the City, hired marina builder, Bellingham Marine to design and supply a concrete floating platform to support its new floating pool.
The unique concrete platform measures 85’ by 40’. “It’s basically a picture frame type configuration with a 9’ wide deck that surrounds the pool,” said Jim Engen, Operations Manager for Bellingham Marine. All utilities are routed internally to provide a clean deck and all treated lumber is concealed with a polymer cover.
The pool, itself, is an aluminum structure, provided by Chester Pool Systems, that sits snug within the platform’s hole and is designed to float independently. Surrounding the concrete platform is a floating sundeck and restroom facility. The pool is chlorinated, filtered and heated, just like an in-ground pool.
According to Bellingham Marine, the floating platform was engineered with the buoyance of the pool in mind. When filled, the pool sits flush with the deck of the platform. However, in the winter, when the water is drained from the pool, the insert is free float at its natural level in the water beneath it. “This was a critical element in the design,” remarked Engen. “With the two structures designed to float independently, the Harbor is able to fill and drain the pool without affecting the surrounding structures.”
The floating pool at the 31st Street Marina is one of only a few in the country. The pool is free to boaters who dock at the harbor and can be accessed by the public for a fee.
“Our vision for the property is to make the marina a destination and to build in amenities that are appealing to boaters as well as the general public,” said Scott Stevenson, Vice President of Westrec Marinas. Future plans for the marina call for the addition of a floating restaurant next to the pool.
As the world’s leading marina design-build construction company, Bellingham Marine specializes in floating dock, floating platform and floating wave attenuation systems for marinas worldwide. The company also produces dry storage systems for the upland storage of boats.
