Movable bulkheads for swimming pools

Movable bulkhead versions

With a bulkhead, a pool can switch between long-course and short-course competition while different groups swim at once. The bulkhead carries starting blocks, lane lines and touch pads, and people can walk across it. EWAC Pools supplies bulkheads from Myrtha Pools and ISI Pools. ISI Pools, part of the Myrtha group, built its first bulkhead in 1996; according to ISI, more than 450 ISI bridges and bulkheads have been built since.

• Rolling bulkhead. A stainless-steel space truss (AISI 316 or 304) on four wheels. The wheels run on rails recessed into the pool deck, or on polyurethane-covered wheels without rails. It is pushed by hand or motorised with 24V motors in IP66 housings (ISI). Myrtha also offers a magnetic traction option.
• Split bulkhead. A two-piece bulkhead that divides the pool into one, two or three zones, in full compliance with World Aquatics rules (Myrtha).
• Flow-through bulkhead. Panels let waves pass through, reducing turbulence (Myrtha).
• Thermal bulkhead. An insulated bulkhead separates two water temperatures, for example cooler for training and warmer for children (Myrtha).
• Flip, submersible and fixed walls. ISI supplies walls that tilt 90° hydraulically or electrically (lengthwise or crosswise), walls that sink vertically, and fixed-position versions at 25 m.
• Materials. Stainless steel or, at Myrtha, a fibreglass-carbon composite. The cladding is anti-slip grating and corner profiles in UV-stabilised polypropylene (ISI).

Engineering and standards

• Load. ISI designs its bulkheads for an accidental load of 2 kN/m² without water, on top of the permanent loads in EN 13451-11. With water in the pool, buoyancy helps. The truss also takes the horizontal forces of swimmers pushing off at the turn.
• Standard. Movable bulkheads in public pools fall under EN 13451-11:2022.
• Competition. ISI bulkheads are approved for both long-course and short-course competition. Myrtha’s split bulkhead complies with World Aquatics rules.
• Working with a floor. Position sensors let the bulkhead work together with a movable pool floor, so each zone gets its own depth.
• Dimensions. A bulkhead takes up length. When the Challenge Stadium in Perth was renovated, its 10-lane pool was lengthened from 50 to 51 m for this reason. Plan for it if both course lengths must meet World Aquatics requirements. See also Competition pool dimensions and requirements.

Myrtha pools with bulkheads in the BeNeLux

• Twentebad, Hengelo (NL, 2018): a 50 m pool (50 × 20.98 m) renovated with RenovAction inside its existing concrete shell, with a movable bulkhead so several groups can swim at once.
• De Waterlinie, Culemborg (NL, 2018): a hinged wall on the movable floor divides a 25 × 21 m pool into two zones 2–3 °C apart. For competitions, the wall folds flat.

Further afield: Hallenbad Buchholz in Uster (CH, 2016; split ISI bulkhead in a 10-lane 50 m pool), Koper (SI; flow-through bulkhead) and Kremlin-Bicêtre (FR).

What EWAC Pools does

We advise on bulkhead type, rails or wheels, drive and pool dimensions. We install on site and provide service and maintenance across the BeNeLux. Myrtha and ISI engineer and manufacture the bulkheads. A bulkhead can be planned into a new pool or added during a RenovAction renovation. The recessed steps that bulkheads and floors require are part of Myrtha’s panel system.

Movable bulkhead FAQ

Is a bulkhead the same as a pool bridge or divider?

Yes. All three names describe a movable wall that divides the pool and can be walked on.

Can a bulkhead be added to an existing pool?

Yes. A rolling bulkhead needs deck rails, or polyurethane-covered wheels that work without rails (ISI). In a renovation, we design it in from the start.

How is a bulkhead moved?

By hand with handles, or motorised. ISI uses 24V motors in IP66 housings, and Myrtha also offers magnetic traction.

Can a bulkhead separate two water temperatures?

Yes, with a thermal bulkhead (Myrtha) or a hinged wall, as at De Waterlinie in Culemborg.

What load can a bulkhead carry?

ISI designs for 2 kN/m² accidental load without water, on top of the loads in EN 13451-11.

Does a bulkhead meet competition requirements?

Myrtha’s split bulkhead complies with World Aquatics rules. For homologation, the course lengths must also be right, which we include in the design.

Want to get more out of one pool? Discuss your project or request the technical dossier.

Read also: Competition equipment, Removable headwalls, Sport.

Sources

Myrtha Pools, Movable bulkhead
ISI Pools, Parete mobile and isipools.com
Myrtha brochures Tech (pp. 12 and 17), Comp (p. 14) and Renov (pp. 17, 23 and 28)
EWAC Pools, Twentebad Hengelo and De Waterlinie Culemborg
BSI, EN 13451-11:2022

Last updated: 28 September 2026