The Challenge:

The Royal Caribbean’s new Quantum-class cruise ships feature restaurants, surf and sky diving simulators, a robotic bartender and bumper cars, among many other exciting innovations. So how to make the adults-only indoor pool stand out?

The Solution:

OpenAire has earned a strong reputation with Royal Caribbean, providing an innovative structural solution to enclose the top-deck swimming pools on the company’s Quantum series of cruise liners. Beginning with the Quantum of the Seas in 2013, followed with Anthem of the Seas in 2014 and Ovation of the Seas in 2015, OpenAire’s engineers developed two 30’ x 100’ lean-to enclosure designs whose roof and sidewalls can retract and open seamlessly to expose the pool to the sun and sea breezes of the open ocean. These thermally broken aluminum enclosures resist corrosion from pool chemicals and salty sea air. The success of Quantum has led Royal Caribbean to commission similar enclosures for a fourth ship Spectrum of the Seas in the series, which OpenAire is working on currently.

OpenAire designed, manufactured and constructed a sleek and modern retractable roof structure for the ships’ indoor pools. Each ship has a retractable roof and windows that operate smoothly and silently as they open to let in the sun and sea air, or close to keep cold and precipitation out. The custom structure, measuring 31m by 13m, features a glass roof that slides open 75 percent. Ten bays of retractable glass and aluminum walls measuring 5m high open 67 percent of the structure’s sides. Each oversized glass panel is 4.8 meters long, allowing the sunlight to stream into the pool area.

The custom-designed structure is constructed of extruded aluminum profiles made of structural alloy 6061 T6. The thermally broken, all-aluminum framing is maintenance-free, resistant to corrosion caused by salt air and caustic chloromines. Apart from its durability, aluminum appealed to Royal Caribbean because it is lighter weight than traditional steel, therefore contributing less to overall weight of the ship and resulting energy use.