The Italian design team behind the world’s deepest thermal pool have told architecture and design magazine CLAD that the concept could go global in the near future.

Emanuele Boaretto made history last year when he opened a 40m pool, named Y-40, at his Hotel Millepini resort in Padova, north Italy.

Equivalent in height to nine double decker buses, the pool incorporates four caves for technical underwater diving and a transparent viewing tunnel. Nicknamed The Deep Joy, it has turned the resort into an international diving destination.

Now Boaretto is consulting all over the world with architects on similar projects.
Speaking exclusively to CLADmag, his son Giovanni – a resort spokesman – revealed that Malaysia, Taiwan, China and Japan are among the potential destinations for deep thermal pools.

“We expect there will be more of a relationship between dive and spa facilities in the future,” he said. “Y-40 has sparked a lot of interest. However, rather than replicating Y-40, Emmanuelle is looking at how new pools could reflect each location.”

Boaretto added that deep thermal pools are a natural draw for divers, athletes and spa-lovers alike, explaining that a philosophy of mindfulness can be conveyed through diving courses which combine with meditation, massage and yoga.

“We’re selling a memorable and holistic experience: pushing the fact that the water offers a joyful, harmonious experience,” he said.

Y-40 is being used as a training location for, among others, international swimmers and Italy’s synchronised swimming team and fencing team. The pool has also proven popular with companies testing equipment and people organising dramatic photo shoots.

Construction on Y-40 was completed in one year. The 4,300 cubic metres of water needed for the pool are naturally heated to 32–34 degrees celsius, making the project environmentally and commercially sustainable.

The latest edition of CLADmag, the quarterly magazine from CLAD, has just been released and can now be read on both Digital Turning Pages and as a text PDF download.

With a wide range of features, interviews and news from across the world of leisure architecture and design, this issue looks at everything from cover star Philippe Starck's inflatable health club to Mattheo Thun's new resort for JW Marriott in Venice.