Swimming Pools: Stainless Steel vs Concrete

Elevated pools and spas are an ever popular design trend: hotels, casinos, luxury apartments can all benefit from a well-designed above-grade pool. Once it’s decided that the building design is to include a rooftop pool, it is time to look at what options are available, including what could save you construction time, money, and expedite the progress on your project.

Comparing Stainless Steel & Concrete

A stainless steel pool might not be what you first think of when you’re planning your rooftop project; however, there are a lot of reasons why stainless steel vessels work better than traditional concrete construction for both below and above-grade applications.

Cleanliness

Let’s look at conventional pool construction first, namely the concrete/pouring part of the process. It can be incredibly messy. Your rooftop or elevated enclosure could end up covered with dust, grit, and litter – clean-up is also not as easy when you’re dealing with this type of project. Outside, it becomes even harder to keep the worksite neat, as grit and sand from the concrete and mixing can blow around or get rained on.

Stainless steel is far cleaner in installation alone. The pool can be lifted into place, or assembled on site. Even if the site requires the vessel to be lifted in segments, the assembly and installation remains faster than a typical pool. No grit, sand, dust or mixing required.

Weight

In a vaulted concrete pool, the concrete is heavy – and that affects the design of your facility. You have to ensure that the sheer weight of the pool is supported, and take precautions for the stability of your building’s structure.

Stainless steel pools weigh dramatically less than a vaulted concrete pool: per square foot of recreational water, a RenoSys SummitSeries vessel can weigh 13-19x less. Specifically, that’s 24-33 lbs/sq. ft. vs. concrete’s 460 lbs./sq. ft. – enough to make a huge difference in the overall weight that your building needs to bear. By weighing so much less, a stainless steel pool could allow you to adjust the design of your building’s structure, with the potential to save on material costs.

Structural Integrity

Traditional concrete pools are subject to de-lamination and cracking, and require greater chemical usage because of absorption by plaster, gunite, and concrete finishes. Acid washing, although destructive to concrete, may also be required.

RenoSys pools are fully-welded, die and static-tested and virtually leak-proof. They require far less in the way of maintenance; since they don’t absorb chemicals, you end up using less. You never need to acid wash a stainless steel pool, and cracking or de-lamination aren’t possible. The SummitSeries pool is also pore-free and hygienic.

Installation Time

Finally, time is an element, especially in an outdoor rooftop environment. Concrete requires a specific temperature range in order to pour correctly and cure correctly. Weeks or months of bad weather can delay your project significantly; and as in anything else, time = money.

Since a SummitSeries or FuturaPool installation doesn’t require specific weather conditions for outdoor projects, or waiting for shaping, pouring, or curing, you’re saving both time and money.

Better for the environment.

Stainless steel is a greener product because such a high percentage (65-80%) of stainless steel is manufactured from recycled steel. Stainless steel itself is also recyclable.

Customizable

Crowd-pleasing features such as negative-edges cascades, spillovers, or waterfalls can be designed. A variety of finishes are available, including natural, polished stainless steel, a RenoSys commercial pool liner, or mosaic tile.

Easier Planning

Stainless steel spas and certain pools have the option to be prefabricated, assembled, and shipped. They can also be built on-site like our larger stainless steel pool options.