french company turns shipping containers into durable, low-maintenance swimming pools

shipping containers into low-maintenance swimming pools

Calaak’Oncept, a company based in Geispolsheim, France that specializes in cargotecture or transforming cargo structures into products of architecture, designs and distributes swimming pools carved in shipping containers. Dubbed Calaak pools and manufactured in Bas-Rhin by a collective of pool specialists in Geispolsheim, the custom-made container pools feature a mix of modern and industrial styles. The structure does not begin and end with delivering and installing the container pools, but the specialists guide their clients into what goes into and out of the cargotecture as they advise on the design of customizable and economical, above-ground or in-ground pools. The company’s mission lies in its desire to let its clients discover eco-responsible concepts of swimming pools that require low maintenance and shares its delight to have recently expanded its dissemination and transport across France.

The company prides itself on having a varied choice of installation, be it above ground, semi-buried, or even raised on a cliff to afford the view of the landscape. It offers fully customizable pool layouts with a large number of options to modify them, an exterior rendering that meets clients’ expectations from glazed area and cladding to access and security, and a range of options that allows clients to construct their pools according to their specifications. For Calaak’Oncept, the industry of the container pools constantly evolves as desires from clients and consistent developments emerge. It also promises to provide clients with advice and tailor-made solutions to meet the constraints of their outdoor spaces regardless of the size.

Images from Calaak’Oncept

Variations of the shipping-container pools

Calaak’Oncept offers three main categories of Calaak pools. The six-meter-sized pool saves space if clients want to install the pool in their gardens, making it ideal for restricted spaces and accessible to all. The twelve-meter-sized pools have two variations, a spacious one built for athletes, swimming fans, and large families, and another made for relaxing with a jacuzzi area. Wellness options are also available which include two-, three, and five-seat spas consisting of docks and armchairs; hydromassage and aromatherapy; chromotherapy with a combination of ten colors; and waterfall selections accompanied by the sound of water.

As for the customization, the exterior cladding comes with steel or wooden materials with different colors available. The railing of the pools can be in glazed surface, metallic, or stainless, and types of wood can also be ordered to match the clients’ surroundings or terrace. The Calaak pools comprise a fixed metal ladder, a removable staircase made of wood, a central metal stringer and five steps, an external staircase, and basin modularity. A white LED spotlight is included to light up the pool at night with an option to have a colored LED projector with remote control, indirect peripheral lighting, a white LED strip, and a LED spotlight at the bottom of the pool.

The pool area has an automatic chlorine regulator, salt chlorinator, biological filtration, fogger, cover with a roller, and electric curtains, to name a few. The company says that the installation and setup take only one day along with lining in the 16A electrical outlet and that the installation and commissioning of the container pools are already included in the total cost of the pool. Apart from installing the Calaak pools and advising on what layout to get, the team behind the company also provides electrical, plumbing, and earthworks solutions.

Calaak’Oncept turns shipping containers into durable, low-maintenance swimming pools

Transporting shipping-container pools

The manufacturing time can extend up to four weeks, depending on the workload. The container pools are transported by an 11m carrier truck or a semi-trailer, depending on the model chosen, and it is possible to lift the pool based on the feasibility of installing it. Depending on the size of the basin chosen, lifting and transport are carried out by truck crane or mobile crane. If needed, the company can hoist the pool using a crane which is already included with the transport and costs, and long-range cranes and helicopter lifting are still being studied by the team, but are already considered as a potential means to transport the product.

The company seems to also offer a container pool house where it builds a shelter out of the Calaak pools and fits in a shower, bathroom, changing room, and a relaxation area to complete the arrangement that is made for house parties and gatherings. ‘Its robustness and resistance to extreme weather conditions make it a good choice for a swimming pool,’ the company writes. Topping it off, the pool specialists also offer anti-corrosion paint and guarantee that their materials are specially designed to resist shocks, bad-weather conditions, and corrosion.

Close-up view of the container pool