OpenAire, a leading designer and manufacturer of retractable roofs and skylights, is challenging the accepted rules for waterparks, helping operators to take a new approach by opening up the walls and roofs in their venues.
“We know that clients sit in boardrooms with architects and mechanical engineers and say: ‘It is impossible! It’s just not the way waterparks are built — it’s not how we’ve always done it — forget about it!'” says Nancy Patterson, OpenAire’s director of design and business development.
“First, stop thinking of your space as a hermetically sealed box, you are not building a hospital. You are building a waterpark. Yes, it is a normal building, built to be heated and/or cooled… But it is a space traditionally considered to be outdoor, full of happy faces, splashing, spraying, slides, rides, surfing, food, drink and fun.”
However, these spaces can also be full of heat, humidity, corrosive air and mould. When operators open the roof and walls of their waterpark building, they are turning a normal space into both an indoor and outdoor facility – and adding extra ventilation.
Cutting operating costs
The cost to build a retractable roof is the same as a regular aquatic facility roof. Yet, when the roof is open operators can then turn off their mechanical systems. This means they are using fresh air to ventilate the space, and sunshine to illuminate it, saving up to 30% on energy bills every year.
“This is true even in northern colder climates,” says Patterson. “The savings can still offset winter heating costs.”
Aquatic environments are full of corrosive, heavy, chemical-laden air. An open roof allows an indoor waterpark to be vented at about 1000 air turnovers per hour, far beyond the 6-8 turnovers that the building code (ASHRAE) requires.
Nevertheless, operators might still be reluctant, not wanting to sacrifice their perfect temperature, especially in winter.
“These spaces are built the exact same way a typical door or window is in your home,” says Patterson. “They are thermally broken, meaning that thermal breaks are installed within the system to ensure if you heat it — the heat stays in and vice versa.
“That said, when the roof is open you treat it like an outdoor space. The bonus, it’s an outdoor space with fans to move the air around. You still need umbrellas, shade structures, sunscreen and other outdoor amenities. In hot southern climates you might want misters or fans and such at the lowest 8 feet level where people congregate, because like it or not, global warming means the hottest climates are getting hotter. Other than that treat it like a normal building, with some great benefits.”
Longer lasting waterparks
OpenAire’s products are built from aluminium, meaning that operators no longer have to contend with things like rusted and mouldy metal columns. A painted aluminium facility won’t corrode, costs less to operate, and allows the waterpark to be open to the public every day, without needing extended closures to repair mould and rot.
But what about smaller skylights, rather than opening the whole roof?
“The air circulation via a retractable roof is not the same as a regular door or window,” says Patterson. “The volume of air is far greater, so the benefits appear to be directly correlated to the size of the roof opening. If you have a 100,000-square-foot box and open a hole in the roof that’s 2000 square feet, you still need to manage the mechanical systems in the rest of the space.
“Typically this is achieved through system zoning, and items like air curtains to define these spaces. Doable, not impossible, but it’s not going to achieve the 30% yearly energy cost savings you might like. So just the same way a small skylight won’t illuminate your space, it also won’t fully ventilate it. That’s the trade-off.
Tropic Falls
The new Tropic Falls Indoor Waterpark at OWA (pictured) shows what OpenAire can bring to a waterpark project. This 65,000-square-foot venue includes multicoloured blue-tone glass walls which enhance the underwater, tropical theme of the space, as well as a 130ft wide operable sliding door that is 26 ft tall and slides open to the adjacent wave pool
The new attraction, which is part of a large entertainment complex including a theme park, hotels, restaurants, shops, family entertainment, an event centre and a sports complex, soft opened in summer 2022 and is set for a grand opening in spring 2023.
Located a mile from the beaches of the gulf shores, the waterpark also includes a slide that drops through the floor and exits on a lower level.
Many of OpenAire’s clients were able to remain open during the pandemic since the retractable roofs meant they counted as open spaces. Even with mandated shutdowns and reduced international travellers, waterparks with OpenAire retractable roofs had very good years.
The firm is so confident in the product that it sticks to contract pricing and offers a minimum of five years to twenty years full warranty on its buildings. To find out more, meet the team at IAAPA Expo 2022 in Orlando, at booth #2644.
Earlier this year, OpenAire shared details of how it has helped to break waterpark records at WaTiki Indoor Waterpark Resort in South Dakota, thanks to a dedicated improvement plan.
