Almaden Valley Athletic Club
San Jose, CA

The Challenge

A charter member of the National Swim School Association (NSSA), Almaden Valley Athletic Club Swim School has been recognized as a leader in the learn-to-swim community and providing quality small group swimming lessons. These classes were so popular that summer season pool time was booked months in advance.

The problem was that despite the California environment, the pool was unused in the winter months. Jim and Linda Theiring started their search for a solution that would allow them to offer a year-round swim program. Ideally the solution would cover the pool, allow protection from inclement weather while still preserving that indoor-outdoor feeling.

The Solution

After much consultation, the Theirings selected OpenAire. Completed in September 2000, the glass-enclosed teaching facility now permits a swim program that runs year-round. Indeed, the 5 acre, 10,000 member, award winning club has something for everyone.

Technical Information

OpenAire’s design team and the architect developed a glass pool enclosure teaching facility that is a gable style enclosure which spans 73’ and is 78’9” long. The structure is divided into 10 bays, with 16 panels that open up approximately 50% of the roof area at the touch of a button. All the framing is built of thermally broken aluminum extrusions, a non-corrosive material that is highly appropriate for an aquatic environment.