Swimming pool gets its fill in Wolverhampton

Vencel Resil's Fillmaster expanded polystyrene product is proving an attractive fill material for a wide variety of options from bridge abutments to ground settlement.

However, this latest application really was something different as Fillmaster was chosen as a fill material for two swimming pools at Heathlands leisure centre in the West Midlands that was being refurbished into a 10 pin bowling centre.

The centre had two swimming pools that required a lightweight fill material that would not put the ground below under unnecessary pressure. Traditional fills would have been too heavy, but Fillmaster proved to be perfect, ensuring there would be no problems with settlement. Consulting engineers Collins Hall Green of Nottingham specified 500m3 of Fillmaster for the large 25 metre pool and smaller leisure pool. Before the product was installed, the base of the pool was levelled and the Fillmaster was then added and topped with a reinforced concrete slab. The Fillmaster took just two days to install, which was carried out by Ereconomic Construction, the main contractor on site.

David Hall at Collins, Hall, Green explains: "This is a perfect example of when a lighter fill material was vital. We have worked with Vencel Resil before and knew that Fillmaster was a reliable product that was fit for purpose and easy to install. It was a perfect solution for this project."

Fillmaster is recognised for its loadbearing capabilities and the product is available in a range of sizes and strength grades. FM150 was used on this particular project, however the material is available in a range of grades offering compressive strengths between 10kPa (FM50) and 190kPa (FM500).

Fillmaster by Vencel Resil is renowned for being both lightweight and extremely strong, both properties which were vital on this project. It is the cellular structure of the Expanded Polystyrene (EPS) that gives Fillmaster its high strength-to-weight ratio, ensuring that the blocks are able to withstand the mechanical loads encountered on these types of projects.

The product has a proven track record in the UK of providing solutions for many different civil engineering applications, where traditional fill materials are unable to meet specific site requirements. It is particularly effective as a lightweight, cost-effective solution for bridge underfill applications where the structure requires greater support.

In addition to its physical properties, expanded polystyrene is easy to handle and compatible with rapid construction techniques, which is a major benefit for contractors. As part of modern methods of construction, it can be transported to site in the minimum number of loads, producing less waste and with no negative environmental impact.

Expanded polystyrene has environmental benefits too as it is HCFC-free and non toxic. The material is also extremely versatile as its closed-cell formation inhibits absorption of water and therefore avoids all of the problems of waterlogging and drainage that are associated with other fill materials.