Engineered for Excellence: FAR MORE THAN A POOL COVER

by Christy Heitger-Ewing

Hoffman

Sometimes the best ideas are formed out of necessity. Seven years ago, Andrew Heard and his wife, Cecilia Alvarez-Heard, were building a pool and saw a gap in the market – specifically, the pool covering market.

“Nobody could provide what we wanted,” says Heard, a mechanical engineer who has worked for over 25 years designing and manufacturing transmissions for racecars, including IndyCars.

At the time, the couple had two-year-old twins and wanted to be sure to have a pool cover that was durable and safe. To have one that was aesthetically pleasing would be a bonus. Since Heard couldn’t find what he was looking for, he decided to make one himself (patent pending), and Alvarez Heard launched Tresss. They call it an “architectural pool cover” because it’s not a flimsy tarp that sags in the middle where rainwater and leaves accumulate, which is what most people envision when they think “pool cover.”

Although Tresss is new to the market, the team has 85+ years of engineering experience. The technology used for the Tresss architectural pool cover is what Heard observed in the evolution of racecars through the years. He uses a composite structure where the strength comes from the shape; it’s what provides the insulation value as well. This architectural pool cover is integrated as part of the design and construction process for new swimming pools. Currently, it cannot be retrofitted to existing pools.

This unique design has seven core selling points, which include:

1. SAFETY

2. SPACE SAVING

3. SELECTABLE DEPTH

4. FOUR SEASONS

5. SUSTAINABILITY

6. SPECIAL NEEDS ACCESSIBILITY

7. SEXINESS

When the pool is closed and the cover is on, it’s a deck system that will support the same load as any other residential deck, which means you can set a grill on it, play games on it, host a dinner party on it, whatever you want.

Because the pool can be set to a selectable depth, less space is required. When people build a pool, they generally want a deep end for diving and a shallow end for socializing, but the slope in the middle is dead space.

“Since a quarter to a third of the pool is your shallow end where everybody congregates, you can set the whole pool area to that depth and not have to have a large pool just to get a large enough shallow end,” says Heard.

Although we live in the Midwest, the architectural pool cover, with an insulation factor of R-30, allows the pool to be heated and open year-round.

“Last February, my kids were having snowball fights in the pool,” says Cecilia, who has been nominated for the Jacqueline Troy Inspired Fund (JTIF). The award was created to elevate Central Indiana’s womenowned businesses.

To prove its stellar insulation, the couple’s pool heater stopped working for ten days last January and the pool’s temperature only dropped ten degrees.

Another plus is the pool’s special needs accessibility. Since the cover goes up and down like an elevator it’s possible to wheel someone onto the platform and be gently lowered into the water. It can also lift water treadmills and aqua bikes into the pool. Due to the insulation, the energy usage is down, thereby increasing sustainability, which translates to lower maintenance.

Tresss has also just finished their first prototype of the plunge pool, a prefabricated, pre-cast concrete pool that’s 16 ft. long by 7 ft. wide, that incorporates their patent pending cover, all delivered on a truck and dropped into a hole in your yard.

“It’s long enough to have a swim jet system so it can operate like an endless pool,” says Heard, noting a pool permit may not be required. This self-contained pool system is ideal for smaller homes and for people who don’t want to spend three months building a pool. Plus, they are high-end, fully tiled, and attractive.

Tresss products, manufactured in Indianapolis and headquartered in

Zionsville, are featured at Casa Heard, and Ripplebnb.com, an Airbnb that has one of their plunge pools. If you are in search of an elegant, strong, safe architectural pool cover or plunge pool, contact Tresss today.

For more information, contact owner Cecilia Alvarez Heard at (317) 652-1366 or @tresss.designs on Instagram.

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