info on scuba diving center..

[surenaalone]

Hi... I am doing architecture and i am designing a scuba diving center for my thesis. so i need to know about scuba diving and the spaces used by the diver. can u pls help me out with the various spaces needed in a scuba diving center.. if possible details and use of the spaces.. thanks in advance...

[bracko]

head out to a few shops and ask... divers love to talk.

[Jim Lapenta]

Showroom area, repair service area with test bench, dressing rooms larger than normal to accomdate bulky garments, compressor room, classroom with av gear and whiteboard, pool is optional but I'm guessing you want an ideal center with one stop service in all areas, so having one is nice. it does not need to be olympic size but a deep end of 12-15 ft (4 meters or so) is highly desirable. If you want more details contact me thru my website. Who knows if I hit the lottery I may build your design!

[DevonDiver]

Gotta consider the flow of divers through the shop - creating logical progression and easing bottle necks. Showroom/retail space aside - the participating divers need to move through the functional spaces in a set order without congestion. They need to arrive, store their gear, collect cylinders and/or rental gear, change into exposure protection, set-up gear, don gear... have convenient access to the water/boat etc. Upon return/water exit, they need somewhere to de-kit, a wet area, a kit washing area, a kit drying area... then cylinders/rental kit needs to be collected and stored again. Kit storage area needs to be well ventilated and suitable for drip-dry of equipment. The divers also need to get changed out of exposure protection and then remove their kit to their transport. These stages should flow and incoming/outgoing diver customers should not congest each other.

From a safety perspective, it's ideal if the dive centre has an area for first-aid/treatment and casualty reception - along with adequate view of the water area for monitoring divers (if diving takes place from shore etc, within the immediate vicinity. First-aid/treatment area should enable one or more prone casualties to be treated with oxygen, de-fib and cpr.

The centre will also require an area for equipment maintenance, cylinder testing etc. Work benches, tool storage, vices etc. It should provide optimum lighting and worker comfort for both precise/fine and heavy tasks.

Cylinder filling/compressor area should reflect the capacity required by the dive centre. It should be protected from the rest of the dive centre in case of malfunction and should offer some sound protection so that the noise of tank filling activities don't interfere with other functional areas (retail, classroom lessons etc). It should provide access to clean air input for the compressors. It should logically be located next to the tank storage area and flow into the customer tank collection point. An 'ideal' would also be to allow for banked/bulk storage of pre-mixed gasses such as common nitrox and trimix blends.

Theory lessons should be catered for in a classroom of sufficient comfort and size for the dive centres demands. It should protect the students from distractions etc. It should offer a full spectrum of modern AV teaching aids. It should have both seated/desk areas for book study/note-taking, and also sufficient open floor space for the conduct of practical training applications (i.e, first aid/cpr lessons, kit assembly etc)

Swimming pool should permit the conduct of all confined water training requirements within agency standards. This means a substantial flat shallow water area and a flat deep water area (4m+) connected by a slope.. It means sufficient length for swimming assessments, CESA practice, underwater swimming and other drills.

Depending on location/region - it would also be prudent to plan for a helicopter landing point for casualty evacuation. This is a consideration in many UK located dive centres/inland diving areas.

Retail area would mimic best practice from the retail area - but could also include some form of viewing/link with practical diving activities so that consumers can see diving lessons etc being conducted from the showroom. That's a good enticement to sales.

[jar546]

Surenaalone,
If you want to look at it from a code standpoint it can probably be a mixed use building depending on your square footage and calculated occupant load. The pool, since it has no spectators should be an A-3, while the classroom portion can be a B due to the typical occupant load being less than 50. The retail area, of course would be an M. I am not sure if you can sell this project as only a B with incidental use due to the complexity of the project and uses in each area. All of this, of course is assuming you are to utilize the I-Codes. Is this project strictly from an architectural standpoint or would you have to do occupant load calculations to determine plumbing fixtures which are vital in the layout. Please don't forget ADA requirements if you are in the US. Good luck with your thesis.