Low-energy filtration for Scotland's first Passivhaus pool

Swimming centre in Scotland

Project snapshot

LiqTech supplied ceramic membrane QlariFlow™ Aquatics filtration technology to its partner Barr+Wray, which integrated the technology into the pool water-treatment design for a landmark £36 million public leisure facility.

Location: Blairgowrie Recreation, Perthshire, Scotland

Client: Perth & Kinross Council

Pool type: New-build Leisure Centre

Project-specific circulation requirement: ≤40 W/m²

Achieved performance: Below 25 W/m²

Pool size: 25 m, six-lane pool

Commissioning: 2025

The challenge

Indoor pools place unusually high demands on energy, water and building services. At Blairgowrie, the filtration plant had to maintain dependable public pool water quality while supporting an ultra-low-energy design. The six-lane pool serves both the community and Blairgowrie High School, so the solution also needed to be robust, automated and suitable for changing operational loads.

For the project team, filtration was therefore an energy design decision, not solely a water quality specification. Pressure loss, circulation demand, cleaning cycles and system control all had to work within the Passivhaus strategy.

The Solution

LiqTech supplied its ceramic membrane filtration technology as part of its QlariFlow™ Aquatics filtration system to Barr+Wray, which incorporated it into the complete pool water-treatment design. This partner-led delivery model combined LiqTech's membrane expertise with Barr+Wray's system design, installation and integration capabilities.

Why silicon carbide ceramic membranes

Low-pressure operation. LiqTech's membranes are designed to operate at low pressure, helping reduce the pumping burden associated with filtration.

Automated cleaning. Pressure-based backwashing supports stable operation while limiting operator intervention and unnecessary cleaning cycles.

Durable, media-free construction. Robust silicon carbide membranes tolerate repeated cleaning and are designed for a long service life without disposable filter media.

Compact, modular design. A space efficient platform gives the system integrator flexibility in plant room layout and future capacity planning.

Designed as one water-treatment system

The membrane filtration forms part of Barr+Wray’s integrated water-treatment package, aligning water safety with the building’s energy objectives. Please visit Barr+Wray's website for further information.

Find out more about our Aquatics Filtration Systems

The result

The completed filtration system met the project's maximum specific power requirement of 40 W/m², achieving performance below 25 W/m²

That margin provides practical evidence that LiqTech’s high-performance QlariFlow™ Aquatics filtration system can be integrated into a demanding Passivhaus design, demonstrating that high-performance pool filtration can support even demanding low-energy building standards. At facility level, the design team anticipates operational energy use up to 80% lower than a typical leisure centre, while the new building provides a flexible, inclusive asset for education and public use.

Why it matters

Blairgowrie Recreation Centre shows what can be achieved when specialist technology suppliers and system integrators collaborate from the design stage. For LiqTech, it is a strong reference for ceramic membrane filtration in low-energy commercial pools, combining reliable water treatment, intelligent operation and measurable energy performance.

Interested in low-energy Aquatics filtration?

Learn more about QlariFlow™ Aquatics filtration or talk to our Aquatics team about your project.