Patent Application
20160177586
This application claims priority to United Kingdom Patent Application No. 1422954.6 filed on Dec. 22, 2014, the contents of which are incorporated herein in their entirety.
The present invention relates to waterside leisure facilities. In particular, the invention relates to an enclosed waterside leisure facility in which environmental factors are controlled to increase utilisation of the area throughout seasonal variations in weather conditions.
Waterside leisure facilities are well known and come in many forms. Hotels, beachside facilities, leisure parks, theme parks and apartment complexes are built in waterside locations because users enjoy the combination of countryside and waterside settings and the range of activities and entertainments which can be enjoyed on land and on the water. Such complexes exist on riverside, lakeside and seaside locations. However, the vast majority of complexes in the world are located in areas whose usage is significantly affected by changes in climate as the seasons change. Generally, resorts which are located directly on the equator or near to it are not necessarily easily accessible by local communications links, such as airports, railways and roads. Further, since they are often in very hot environments all year round, they are not necessarily ideally suited to use for all leisure purposes. Even where facilities are available in locations which have a good climate for general use all year round, the number of available locations is limited and not necessarily usefully accessible by users from all parts of the world.
Where waterside leisure facilities are located in areas where the environmental conditions are affected by seasons, there is often a relatively short peak season where the facilities are useful, since the ideal combination of water temperature, land temperature and air temperature and humidity only occurs at certain points in the year. This causes technical and logistical problems, since the facilities may be only used for part of the year, which means that the transportation related problems of getting seasonal staff to and from the location can render operations inefficient, and many of the leisure facilities or equipment may have to be stored in safe locations during autumn, winter and spring months and only brought out during summer, which causes further technical problems in terms of storage, security, maintenance and user familiarity with the equipment being used, as well as resulting in sub-optimal utilisation of the equipment around the year.
The seasonality associated with the vast majority of waterside leisure facilities therefore has a number of drawbacks.
The present invention seeks to address the drawbacks associated with the seasonality of the environmental conditions which permit or prevent leisure facilities from being used to their best effect during all periods of the year.
According to the present invention, there is provided a waterside leisure facility comprising:
The facility of the invention therefore creates a controlled environment which encloses a portion of a large body of water, and a portion of the land mass adjoining the water, so that users can enjoy the experience of a water-side location, joined by the views and surroundings associated with a large land mass and a large body of water, while the conditions of the environment in the portion of the body of water enclosed in the enclosure can be controlled and regulated to provide an optimum environment for users to enjoy the land and the water and any available leisure facilities. The water treatment means may in certain embodiments circulate water from outside the enclosure through the enclosure. The enclosure of the invention serves to both emulate and incorporate aspects of the outside environment within the enclosure, such as natural water from the large body of water. Therefore, rather than creating a false environment within the enclosure, the facility of the invention creates a more natural feeling space, using available resources from the surroundings rather than a wholly emulated indoor environment which is entirely separated from the surroundings.
The facility may comprise wave control means for controlling the wave state of the water in the enclosure. This may take the form of a wave machine separate from the main body of water or may include means for permitting but limiting wave motion allowed into the enclosure from the main body of water into the enclosed portion of water.
The facility may further comprise wind control means for controlling wind conditions in the enclosure. This may take the form of fans or blowers for creating wind in the enclosure to emulate a breeze, or it may include openable portions in the walls or roof of the enclosure, to permit air from outside the enclosure to circulate within the enclosure.
At least a part of the roof may comprise transparency control means for controlling the transparency of the roof so that more or less light can be allowed to enter the enclosure. This can be in the form of shutters, blinds, or actively tintable glass or other materials which can control the passage of light through a pane of glass.
The facility may comprise an accommodation block comprising accommodation for a group of users. This can allow users to use, enter and leave the accommodation block as if it is located outside when the outside is in reality the enclosure which has a controlled environment. The accommodation block may comprise sleeping eating and sanitary facilities for the users, preferably in separate living and sleeping spaces for each user or groups of users, such as are found in hotel accommodation.
The dividing wall may comprise at least a portion of the water treatment means. This can allow a short path for water between the main body and the enclosed portion.
The roof may be supported at a land side by a foundation provided in the land mass and at a second side by a foundation provided in the bed of the body of water. This allows a permanent structure to be provided enclosing the enclosed portion of land and the enclosed water, to securely enclose and keep the contents protected from the external environment.
The foundation at the land side may be a foundation of a building. This enables the enclosure to be efficiently combined with a building on the land mass above the shoreline.
The foundation at the water side may be a foundation for the dividing wall and/or separate columns, depending on requirements determined during engineering design and calculations. This allows the roof and dividing wall to be supported on a common foundation.
The enclosed portion of water may be enclosed by a bottom wall portion which extends from the bed of the body of water to the dividing wall to provide an enclosed portion of water of controlled depth.
The bottom wall portion and/or the dividing wall may be supported by one or more foundations embedded in the bed of the body of water. The bottom wall portion can thus be efficiently supported on common foundations with the remaining structure and supported at a distance from the bed of the body of water.
One or more of the dividing wall and/or the bottom wall portion may comprise at least one compliant portion for allowing wave energy to pass through the dividing wall or floor of the enclosure.
The dividing wall(s) may comprise additional material layers to achieve desired design and engineering characteristics.
The enclosure may enclose one or more of: an accommodation unit for providing living accommodation to a number of users; a catering facility for providing catering to a number of users.
The enclosure may comprise a plurality of sub-sections, connected via one or more reclosable openings, doorways or corridors. The sub-sections may comprise differing shapes, dimensions or volumes, provided to fulfil different user functions. The may comprise a plurality of adjoining sub-sections. The sub-sections may have different sizes and/or dimensions from one another, for providing different or same user functions. One or more of the sub-sections may be configured to have a different controlled environmental condition from an adjoining sub-section. The environmental condition may be one or more of a temperature of the water, and/or a temperature or humidity of the air in the enclosure subsection.
Alternative embodiments of the invention will now be described with reference to the following figures, in which:
The isolated portion 103 of the body of water 102 can be heated, cooled, filtered, recirculated and/or optionally replaced or replenished with water from the overall body of water 102. This means that regardless of temperature of the main body of water 102, the isolated portion can be maintained at a comfortable temperature for users of the enclosure during any season of the year. In certain locations, the sea can be uncomfortably warm for swimming and so a cooling system can be provided to cool the water to a comfortable temperature. Conversely, in areas which are exposed to cooler temperatures during autumn, winter and spring months, the isolated portion 103 can be heated to provide a comfortable environment for users of the water. Wall 104 may be opaque or transparent as required. The enclosed area of the land mass 101 provides a waterside location for users to enjoy the isolated body of water 103 in a controlled environment.
Air conditioning systems can be provided to control the temperature of air 107 within the enclosure and its humidity may also be controlled by suitable air temperature and humidity control means.
The regulated environment enables the enclosed portion 103 of the body of water and the shore side of the land mass 101 to be enjoyed throughout the year regardless of seasonal variations of the ambient temperature and general weather conditions outside the enclosure 100. When large winds are experienced, the body of water 102 may be subject to rough conditions, and so waves and general storms can be isolated from the users of the enclosure by the wall 104 to provide better protection from dangerous waterside conditions in extreme weather. This also improves the usability of the portions of land 101 and water 103 within the enclosure.
As can also be provided for the example illustrated in
Similarly, an air conditioning unit 230 can be provided to deliver hot or cold air to and from the ambient air 207 of the enclosure 200 to provide a controlled temperature and humidity within the enclosure 200.
The enclosure of any of the embodiments illustrated herein can be of any general size, but should generally be large enough to accommodate comfortably a number of persons both on the land mass 301 and in the enclosed portion of the body of water, such as portion 303. The length of the enclosure generally can vary and depends on number of persons to accommodate. The height should generally be large enough to give a feeling of a substantially outdoor space, and so the ceilings should be generally of a height chosen depending on design and engineering calculations.
The ideal temperature of the ambient air of the enclosure is fully in depended from the temperature outside of the enclosure and can be adjusted to meet the comfort of the persons inside of the enclosure.
A range of leisure facilities can be provided within the enclosure, including accommodation such as a hotel 440, catering facilities 308, such as restaurants, canteens, water sports facilities such as a canoe or boat hire station, facilities for snorkelling or scuba diving 209, bars, seating 210, stages and other general entertainment facilities which are usually provided in an outdoor environment. However, in the enclosure of the invention they are enclosed within a controlled environment to give users of the facilities the impression of enjoying an outdoor environment, but in a controlled environment.
These facilities, being protected in the controlled environment of the enclosure, are also not subject to general outdoor weather conditions and so will be less subject to weathering and general wear and tear from the ambient environment outside the enclosure.
It will be apparent to the skilled reader, in light of the disclosure provided herein, that the features of the separate alternative embodiments as described herein can be combined in any combination to arrive at alternative embodiments of the invention which all fall within the scope of the claims of this application.
Although the invention has been described above with reference to one or more preferred embodiments, it will be appreciated that various changes or modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1422954.6 | Dec 2014 | GB | national |
