Inuvik (July 25/03) - Sweltering Inuvik residents can start counting the days now until the opening of the new pool.

Preliminary groundwork began last week on the new Inuvik family centre, with the footprint excavation and preliminary foundation work underway.

Architect Wayne Guy was in town last week to meet with the builder and oversee the site development, which includes preparing an insulated pad to keep the permafrost frozen before the thermosyphons can be installed.

Guy said the foundation will be poured next month and says while the job is "fairly straight forward," care must be taken to ensure the ground stays frozen.

"We will install a temporary cooling system that will ensure that the summer heat doesn't penetrate into the ground," Guy said.

Temporary power has been supplied to the site while the utility moves power poles to skirt the site that will become the new parking area.

After the concrete is poured, the pool itself will be installed.

The liner is manufactured in Europe and promises to hold water longer than traditional concrete pools.

"It's a stainless steel tank liner that has a very good life," Guy said. "It has a better service life expectancy than a concrete pool."

"It's a durable material; it's light, which means it will cost less to ship than concrete."

With the pool liner in place, the steel column construction will begin. Special considerations had to be made regarding those materials as well, Guy said.

"Chlorines in a pool atmosphere are extremely corrosive to metal."

Lightweight, but durable and strong structural steel panels manufactured in the U.S. will make up the exterior structure.

"It's a metal skin, with insulation sandwiched within," he said. "So there's no thermal connection between the outside skin and the insulation."

The exterior will be complete before the winter winds blow, allowing a heated interior for tile, lino and finishing crews to work all winter in warmth.

The interior will have glazed concrete block at the base of walls, stained concrete floors and ceramic tile emulating a pattern unique to the area.

"Aesthetically, it's going to be a stunning space," Guy said. "We're going with bright, rich colours inspired by the Delta braid."

If all goes according to schedule the building should be complete by next July.