Sustainable tourism

The Aquae Vivae water park fills its pools with natural, curative thermomineral water whose Ph factor is between 7.3 and 7.8, which makes the water in Aquae Vivae ideal for restoring the balance of the body, the water preserves health and is proven to slow down aging.

The water temperature at the source is 41 degrees, and in our pools it ranges between 28 and 38 degrees, so each pool has a different water temperature. The swimming pool with all facilities is open 365 days a year. The water park has a total of 6 pools, 170 water attractions, a slide 60 meters long, a pool with waves that reach a height of 1.5 meters, a diving pool with a depth of 4.5 meters, where diving courses are held for all people over the age of 8.

The springs of hyperthermal mineral water are a gift of nature to Krapinske Toplice. The temperature of the water is 41°C, it is chemically characterized by calcium, magnesium and hydrocarbonate, the pH is neutral. The first chemical analyzes of the water in Krapinske Toplice and comparisons of that water with the thermal mineral waters of Europe were made in 1858.

In addition to the fact that thermal water fulfills its basic task, ensuring the well-being of the human body, here at Aquae Vivae we also set a project task that the thermal water passing through the spaces of the water park transfers its thermal energy, and for this reason we designed the water park to be highly energy efficient and that all the energy needed for space heating is drawn from the energy of hot water and the electricity needed for the transfer of thermal energy. The building has a total of 18,000 m², of which 9,000 m² is heated space, and 9,000 m² is unheated, technical space and terraces.

The first task and goal we had to achieve was the construction of a building with built-in thermal insulation that ensures very low thermal conductivity. The insulation of the external vertical walls was carried out in such a way that we achieved the coefficient of heat transfer of the vertical walls of Uzidova = 0.26 W/m²K.

On the vertical walls there are 60 mm thick glass walls with built-in low-emission steels. The heat transfer coefficient through the glass walls is Ustakla = 0.9 W/m2K.

The roofs are made of laminated wooden construction and insulated so that their coefficient of heat transmission Ukrova = 0.2 W/m²K. The roof glass parts are made of three-layer low-emission glass, so that in that part the heat transfer coefficient of the Ustakla roof is 1.1 W/m²K.

The average annual temperature in Krapinske Toplice is 12 °C, and the temperature inside the water park is 28 °C.

basic information of Aquae Vivae water park:

the surface of the vertical walls is 1,600 m² – Pvz = 1,600 m²
the surface of the glass on the vertical walls is 800 m² - Psvz=800 m²
the roof area is 8,200 m² – Pk = 8,200 m²
the surface of the roof glass parts is 800 m² – Pksd= 800 m²
The average annual temperature difference is ?T= 16 ° C.

The total required annual energy (gE) for heating without ventilation is:

gE= (Uvzdova x Pvz+ Ustakla x Psvz+Ukrova x Pk +Ukrovna glass x Pksd) x ΔT x 365 x 24

gE= 595,942,800 Wh

The total annual energy required for heating the water park is 600 MWh.

We designed and carried out the ventilation of the space in such a way that we installed air conditioning chambers with energy recuperators and heat pumps. The recuperators were selected so that at an air flow speed of 2 m/s and an average annual temperature difference of ΔT= 16 °C, they have a utilization factor of η=0.79.

When the ambient temperature falls below 12 °C, which is the average annual temperature, the heat pumps are turned on, which additionally cool the waste - output air, and at the same time heat the input - fresh air, so that no additional energy is needed for ventilation needs, except for electricity to drive the heat pumps.

Given that the total annual amount of thermal energy required for the Aquae Vivae water park is 600 MWh, it means that the required power is P = 69kW. We get this power from the energy of thermal water. Cooling one m3 of thermal water from 41°C to 10°C releases thermal energy in the amount of Te = 36 kWh. If heat energy is released in one hour, then the power with which the energy is emitted into the space is P=36 kW. It follows that for the heating of the Aquae Vivae water park, it is necessary to take away energy from the water volume of 2 m³ per hour, which gives us a thermal power of 72 kW.

At the time of the lowest outside temperature, which in Krapinske Toplice is up to -20 °C, three times more power is needed than the average, i.e. 197 kW power. For this reason, heat pumps with a total thermal power of 200 kW are installed in the air conditioning chambers and they are switched on in steps of 20 kW each, continuously depending on the drop in outside temperature.

The system is designed in such a way that the floor plate of the water park is used for the condenser (accumulator) of heat, in which 50 km of pipes for underfloor heating are installed.

The floor slab is made of concrete, has a mass of 5000 tons and a volume of 2700 m3. It is heated at night when the price of electricity is more favorable to a temperature of 33°C, and during the day it cools down to 30°C. In this way, thermal energy is stored in the lowest place in the room, which ensures the circulation of warm air naturally from the floor to the roof, where the air conditioning chambers suck it up and send it to the already described recuperation.

By opening the Aquae Vivae water park, we brought the living water of Krapinske Toplice closer to all our visitors.

We can always proudly say that the Aquae Vivae water park has no CO2 emissions into the environment, that it is a friend of the environment and, in accordance with Jakob Badl's slogan from 1867, serves for the honor of the homeland and the benefit of humanity.

At the Days of Croatian Tourism, the company Aquae Vivae d.d. in October 2017 received recognition in the sustainable tourism category from the Croatian Tourist Board and the Ministry of Tourism of the Republic of Croatia.

ACHIEVEMENTS IN THE FIELD OF ENVIRONMENTAL CARE

The Aquae Vivae water park, a facility with an area of 18,000 m2, has no CO2 emissions into the environment, and at the same time, it draws all the necessary energy for space heating from the energy of the thermal water used to fill the pools.

The insulation of the external vertical walls was carried out in such a way that we achieved the coefficient of heat transfer of the vertical walls of Uzidova = 0.26 W/m²K.

On the vertical walls there are 60 mm thick glass walls with built-in low-emission steels. The heat transfer coefficient through the glass walls is Ustakla= 0.9 W/m2K

Considering the composition of spring water, the most important resource we use, no additional chemical treatment is required to maintain satisfactory sanitary and hygienic conditions of bathing water, so that apart from Na0Cl, the Aquae Vivae water park does not use or release any other chemicals into the waste water.

In the Aquae Vivae water park, waste is strictly sorted: paper, plastic, glass, cans, biodegradable waste and waste cooking oil, which allows us to achieve significant financial savings and works daily to minimize the amount of municipal waste.

The fact that the Aquae Vivae water park does not emit pollutants into the environment is a healthy basis for the development of health tourism, for the development and production of healthy food, for people to live in a healthy environment, and fertile soil and clean air for the natural diversity of plant and animal species.

The Aquae Vivae water park does not in any way negatively affect nature and the environment, biodiversity and natural balance with its operations.

WASTE MANAGEMENT MODELS

Testing of the quantity and quality of discharged pool water is carried out twice a year. Maximum permissible Ph values up to 8, temperature up to 35 degrees, effective chlorine Cl2 no more than 0.2 mg/l. These values were never exceeded and all waste water analyzes were rated as adequate.