Kuopion Saana is a holiday resort catering to tourists and locals alike with beautiful views by Lake Kallavesi in Finland. The spa complex has a popular restaurant, event space, saunas and pools, not to mention a large terrace allowing visitors to eat, drink and swim outside. Unlike in all other Bluet’s projects, these swimming pools are not floating.
Bluet delivered three pools to this brand-new attraction, which opened in May 2019. The main heated pool is a 16,5 m x 4,5 m stainless steel structure infinity pool. Two other pools are a smaller, 2,6 m x 3,5 m hot tub outside, and a jacuzzi with a diameter of 3 meters inside the spa. The outdoor pools were manufactured by High Metal in Vantaa.
The changes were tackled without problems, and throughout the project our cooperation with Bluet’s Chief Engineer, Kimmo Saharinen, worked well.
After the first summer in operation, Construction Consultant Esa Koponen is happy with the cooperation with Bluet, although he wasn’t involved in the selection of the supplier for the pools. “The decision on the supplier was made very last minute by the client”, Koponen says. “Because of this, some modifications were made to the pools while the construction had already started.” Despite of the hurry with the design, Koponen feels everything went smoothly thanks to Bluet’s knowhow and professionalism. “The changes were tackled without problems, and throughout the project our cooperation with Bluet’s Chief Engineer, Kimmo Saharinen, worked well, both over the phone and on site.”
“When we joined the project, we needed to do some problem solving regarding the technical space and other hidden parts of the pool”, Saharinen confirms. At some point during the summer the operators noticed that a bit of water from the infinity pool was splashing over to the lake. After inspecting the pool, Bluet made a small modification to the overflow drainage gully to fix the issue. “Due to limited space below the deck, we couldn’t make the overflow tank as deep as we normally would. The problem was solved by adding a 2 cm tilted edge to the gully, which is enough to change the direction of water, but the edge is still not visible to the public”, Saharinen explains.
Koponen is also happy with the advice given by Bluet’s partner, Suomen Allaslaite on the pool technology. Both pools outside are designed and prepared for year-round use. Kuopion Saana is still thinking if they will use them during the winter, when the temperature in Kuopio might sink below -30´C (the record is -41’C). “The pools can handle it, but the concern is if there’s enough power in the building’s heat distribution room”, Koponen mentions.
Esa Koponen has 36 years of experience in construction but has never consulted on a pool before. Professionalism, engineering knowhow and flexibility seem to be traits that he appreciates in Bluet. “I recommend Bluet for similar projects”, he states. The pools being ready well on time and on budget, was a big relief for the team busy getting everything ready for the grand opening. “The delays happened in our end, and Bluet adapted extremely well to the changes”, Koponen adds. Bluet as well is pleased to have been part of this project that created something new and exciting for people to enjoy near water. The company also continues to monitor the pool during the guarantee period of two years.
More information:
Tytti Sirola, CEO, Bluet, +358 44 518 1058, tytti.sirola@bluet.fi
Kuopion Saana https://www.kuopionsaana.fi/en/frontpage/
