History of Swimming Pools
For most of us, pools have always been around whether it was in our own backyard or in at a hotel or wherever; however, this was not always the case. Pools first began as public baths but are now widespread and can be found across the world. In this blog post, we will look back on the history of pools and see just how far they have come – then, we will look at some of the innovative ideas regarding pools and what lies in store for the future of the pool industry.
The Beginning: Ancient Pools
The first pool was actually a “great bath” and existed 5,000 years ago in the Pakistani city of Mohenjo-daro. It was built of stone and brick and filled with water for special religious purposes. Public baths like pools then became popular around 700 BC in Ancient Greece and were used for non-religious purposes like bathing and swimming. The first heated pool or jacuzzi was designed by Gaius Maecenas around 8 BC and had waterfalls and lush gardens. Over the course of 3,000 years, pools came a long way from a pit full of water for religious purposes to a heated spa with waterfalls.
The Introduction of Modern Pools
Modern pools began in the 19th century in Great Britain with improved water treatment and design. There were alarming drowning rates in Great Britain at the time, so 6 public pools were built in London in 1837 and the Amateur Swimming Association was formed to promote the skill of swimming. Swimming became an Olympic event in 1896, but was hosted in the open ocean water as funds could not be raised to build a suitable pool. Modern pools entered the U.S. in 1915 with the Deep Eddy pool in Texas, which is still swam in today. Pools then gained popularity in California in the early 20’s with the installment of William Randolph Hearst’s spectacular Neptune pool. Pools later began to be installed in hotels and motels across America in the 60’s – making pools as widespread as they are today. Needless to say, today’s pools have come a long way from a “great bath” built of stone and brick used for religious practices.
The Future of Pools
A few years back we started designing our unique pool design, the innovative elevated pool, but that is just the beginning of the future of pools. Like other technologies, we cannot predict exactly what pools will be like in the future but we have heard of some crazy innovations that may catch on in the future. One of these innovations is the disappearing pool. This pool design allows you to simply push a button and the bottom of the pool rises to ground height; thus, relocating the water and adding more space to your room. Finally, a Hong Kong design group came up with the idea to create a “Swimarium” that would project images of fish and an aquatic environment into your pool to make it appear you are swimming in the ocean. This has not actually been built yet but the design shows potential for what the future holds. Ideas like these are not so far-fetched anymore and we cannot wait to see what the future holds for the pool industry.
Clearly pools have come a long way over the past 5,000 years and it is yet to be seen where they will head in the future. The future of technology in general is fascinating and we are lucky to live in this time period of technological innovation.