Aquascapes delivered Third Space at The Whiteley as a complete specialist wet-leisure design-and-build package within the Grade II-listed former Whiteleys department store. The scheme includes an 18m x 6m three-lane pool, bespoke hydrotherapy, 4–8°C ice bath, saunas, steam room and advanced filtration, UV, chemical dosing, environmental control and SwimEye safety systems, all successfully handed over in February 2026.

Third Space Chelsea deserves to be named Best Swimming Pool in a Hospitality Setting because the pool is not simply a facility within the club – it is a destination within the member experience.From the moment members enter the wet spa, the emphasis changes from performance to restoration.The 16m pool provides a calm environment for swimming, but the experience does not end at the pool edge. Members can move into warm hydrotherapy and underwater massage, experience the intensity of the cold plunge, transition into Finnish sauna or steam, and finally rest on heated loungers or day beds.This progression makes the aquatic environment feel much closer to a luxury hotel spa or private members' club than a conventional commercial health-club pool.That hospitality quality is reinforced through the materials.The green porcelain basin gives the main pool depth and character. Underwater illumination animates the surface. Iroko brings natural warmth to the sauna, bronze-tinted glass adds richness to the thermal areas and heated microcement loungers provide a tactile final stage to the wellness journey.Yet the elegance of the completed facility belies the difficulty of creating it.The pools were introduced within an excavated baseme

The Whiteley demanded a commercial aquatic and wellness facility to be engineered around the constraints of a Grade II-listed structure, while still achieving the refined architectural quality expected by Third Space. At its centre is an 18m x 6m three-lane pool with a precision deck-level overflow and Italian porcelain finish, requiring close coordination of structure, waterproofing, hydraulics and finished floor levels. Alongside it, Aquascapes designed a bespoke hydrotherapy pool with underwater, neck and lie-down massage functions, plus a 4–8°C ice bath, infrared sauna, Finnish wet and hot Löyly sauna and steam room. The design also integrated commercial filtration, UV treatment, automatic chemical monitoring and dosing, balance tanks, drainage, SwimEye safety technology and specialist environmental control within restricted plant and service spaces. Where access prevented conventional installation, the environmental-control unit was specified for sectional delivery and assembly in situ. The result is a highly engineered facility in which complex technical systems remain largely concealed behind a calm, cohesive member experience.

Aquascapes undertook the specialist wet-leisure design-and-build package, coordinating three separate aquatic facilities and their supporting infrastructure within the restricted basement environment. The main swimming pool, hydrotherapy pool and cold plunge utilise bespoke prefabricated EPS structural systems, manufactured specifically to the project dimensions. The water-repellent, high-density EPS elements were reinforced with alkali-free fibreglass mesh and specialist cementitious/resin mortar, with waterproofing applied during manufacture before the structures were delivered ready for their ceramic finishes. For the main pool, the bespoke structural package incorporated the overflow arrangement, varying wall and floor thicknesses and factory-machined provisions for specialist pool fittings. The hydrotherapy pool and cold plunge were similarly manufactured as a coordinated structural system, including the connecting EPS screed and pre-machined positions for accessories. Behind these structures sit dedicated commercial water-treatment systems incorporating Waterco filtration, MultiCyclone centrifugal pre-filtration and Hydrostorm circulation pumps with variable-speed control. The three water bodies have very different requirements. The main pool requires dependable commercial swimming-pool circulation; the hydrotherapy pool combines water treatment with additional hydraulics serving the underwater massage and neck cascade; and the cold plunge combines commercial water quality with controlled low-temperature operation. Triogen UV disinfection was specified across all three pools, supported by automatic pH and disinfectant monitoring and dosing, flocculant dosing and associated chemical-treatment equipment. The main pool also incorporates SwimEye underwater drowning-detection technology, adding an additional layer of safety while remaining discreetly integrated within the finished pool. The thermal facilities are equally substantial. The Finnish Löyly sauna incorporates a 36kW heater with Harvia controls and automatic dosing, complemented by the bespoke Iroko interior. Commercial steam-generation equipment serves the steam room, while 12 heated microcement loungers provide dedicated relaxation facilities. The technical achievement is therefore not simply the individual equipment specified, but its successful integration. Within one constrained basement, Aquascapes coordinated pool structures, hydraulics, filtration, water treatment, temperature control, underwater lighting, safety technology, waterproofing and architectural finishes to create an environment capable of intensive commercial use while retaining the atmosphere expected of a luxury hospitality setting.

Aquascapes Ltd