Rooftop Pools & Spas With Diamond Spas

Rooftop pools and spas are a frequently requested amenity for discerning commercial clientele. While notoriously difficult to design, fabricate and install; the demand for rooftop water features has only increased over the past few decades. Consequently, there are few companies taking on projects of the level of scale and complexity as Diamond Spas.

Owners Stephanie & Tom Bennett started the company back in 1996 with an initial focus on custom baths. Quickly they began to attract attention with their product line. By 1999 they began manufacturing swimming pools, spas, and custom water features. Fast forward to today and Diamond Spas have become one of the elite manufacturers in the industry.

Known for their stunning rooftop pools, their products can be found in the most affluent hotels, commercial buildings, high-end homes, and yes; even mega-yachts. To get a better understanding of why Diamond Spas has become a preferred choice for rooftop pools, we met with Design Manager - Mitch Martinek.

Quite often, Martinek is the point person on the project working with customers, as well as builders, architects, and engineers. Consequently, he has personally been involved in the design and execution of numerous rooftop pool and spa projects over the course of his career.

“Some of the rooftop pool installations that we’ve collaborated in include the Yellow Stone Club in Big Sky, Montana, the Atlantic Residence for Post Brothers, and Woodward Lofts in St. Louis,” said Martinek.

In the course of our discussion, Martinek let us know the reasons why consumers might opt for a stainless steel vessel when planning a rooftop pool project.

“When you’re dealing with rooftop installations, weight is definitely a factor,” said Martinek, “you’re able to get a larger water surface area using a lightweight shell like a stainless steel vessel as opposed to a heavier concrete gunite vessel.”

“A stainless steel vessel allows for a larger body of water with more features and more capacity than you’d get with your typical concrete gunite rooftop pool installation,” said Martinek.

Movement in the ground and depreciation of building fabrication are the most common causes of building and substructure movement. Concrete pools are vulnerable due to their rigidity and propensity to crack. When compared to concrete, stainless steel provides a higher degree of durability and enables for watertight welded manufacturing.

Martinek explained that rooftop pool installations can be tricky due to access issues. When planning a pool installation project, obviously time is of the issue. Many consumers opt for a prefabricated pool that can be installed in one piece thereby reducing the amount of time and money spent on-site during construction.

Given that rooftops create a higher degree of difficulty, it serves to reason that even though the process is easier in terms of time and installation, just getting the product onto the roof can be 90% of the job. The logistic problem of craning the vessel into place is one that Martinek is all too familiar with. Particularly on projects that have custom and unique requirements.

A key reason consumers might opt for an off-site pool manufacturing process is the ease of integration and an abbreviated installation time. “We crane it right into position right on the rooftop,” said Martinek.

Weight and stress factors are crucial issues in rooftop swimming pools. There are risks to placing water above any structure. The framework must support the weight of the water as well as the pool itself. Martinek, let us know that this is one of the primary reasons many consumers opt for a stainless steel vessel when building a rooftop pool.