In the construction industry, the Certificate of Recognition (COR™) has become a national benchmark for positive safety behaviours and performance. The program was initiated in the province of Alberta more than 20 years ago and is nationally trademarked and endorsed by participating members of the Canadian Federation of Construction Safety Associations (CFCSA) of which the Infrastructure Health and Safety Association (IHSA)1 is a member. It provides employers with an effective tool to assess their health and safety management system.
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Francine Gall, COO of Acapulco Pools, a Kitchener, Ont.-based pool contractor, has been named one of Canada’s top entrepreneurs in the 2017 Quantam Shift Program.
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Acapulco Pools Ltd., a Kitchener, Ont.-based pool contractor, recently received a Certificate of Recognition (COR™), a standard of safety excellence in Canada, from the Infrastructure Health and Safety Association (IHSA).
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How can a large community pool complex be constructed on land that is slightly unstable? In the case of the Horace Mann Pool in Rapid City, S.D., designers used 63 underground concrete piers (along with specially designed cardboard boxes under the floor slab) to accomplish this feat. This project was an engineering and construction marvel, to say the least. As recently as 30 years ago, this type of pool design and construction was not possible. Today, however, when posed with this challenge, these construction techniques are available to builders to make such a project a reality.
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Acapulco Pools, a commercial pool builder and service provider based in Kitchener, Ont., has worked with Dan Euser Waterarchitecture (DEW) several times over the years and have come to know his water feature designs, which are typically well-suited to the location, reflect functional expectations, and by no means ‘run of the mill.’ In addition to the hauntingly dramatic National September 11 Memorial water features in Manhattan, N.Y., Euser has produced dozens of unique water effect designs all over the world. Despite knowing this, Acapulco Pools did not expect him to say he was designing a “one-off” project called the ‘Weather Catcher’ to be built in Ft. McMurray, Alta., at the Jubilee Centre of the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo. The water feature was part of a larger reurbanization project that included new municipal-use spaces, a café, and an open-air plaza designed with a large moving sculptural stage that would also act as a gathering place for residents in the city.
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Splash pads transform imagination into new dimensions by delivering adventure, visual excitement, and creative fun for children of all ages. In fact, these features are becoming one of the most popular ways to cool off on a hot summer day.
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When the request for proposal (RFP) was released for the construction of a new community aquatic facility in Strathroy, Ont., in December 2012, there were numerous commercial pool builders preparing proposals. One of these builders was Acapulco Pools, which worked actively to be selected as the designer/builder of this project serving a community with a population of approximately 20,000. In January 2013, Acapulco was awarded the project and immediately procured the completion of all designs for the pool and the accompanying bathhouse. There were tight deadlines for the design and construction teams alike, with only 10 weeks to finalize the building’s architectural, mechanical, electrical and plumbing (MEP), and aquatic drawings and specifications.
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To be a competent builder, one must have the ability to adapt quickly to manage unusual known or unknown circumstances as they arise throughout the design-build process. This reality is particularly palpable in the business of aquatic construction. Pool and spa builders face many of the same challenges as those who construct homes and commercial buildings, in addition to the various challenges that are specific to the aquatics industry. To provide the owner with quality assurance, pool/spa builders have to make decisive and often radical changes to the equipment on site, labour allotment, labour skill-sets, design components, and special provisions to manage site conditions effectively.
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