WO2017134503A1 - Modular element for the construction of pools, tanks and ponds - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention is a modular element (20) for making structures (S) of tanks, pools and basins (10, 11, 12, 13) in general, suited to be arranged in various manners and constrained to other modular elements (20) in such a way as to make up at least part of the structure (S) of the basin (10, 11, 12, 13). Said modular element (20) comprises a three-dimensional body provided with one or more internal channels (215) or compartments (211) suitable for the insertion of cables, ducts, anchorage means (8), tie rods (T1, T2), bars or other elements that are necessary to build at least part of the structure (S) of said basin (10, 11, 12, 13).

Description

MODULAR ELEMENT FOR THE CONSTRUCTION OF POOLS, TANKS AND PONDS

DESCRIPTION

The present patent concerns the sector of tanks, swimming pools and similar structures, and in particular it concerns a new modular element for building pools, tanks, hydromassage pools, swimming lakes and basins in general. The present patent concerns also the swimming pool, tank or basin in general obtained with said new modular elements.

Pools, tanks, artificial lakes and similar structures are known, which are made according to the teachings illustrated in the patent application EP2817467 filed by the same applicant, concerning a basin for swimming pools and similar structures comprising, within the excavation made in the ground for the purpose of building said structures, a protective layer laid on the internal surface of the excavation, a first waterproofing layer laid on said protective layer, a hollow structure positioned on said first waterproofing layer, a second waterproofing layer positioned on the side of said hollow structure facing towards the inside of the basin, a covering layer laid on said second waterproofing layer.

Said hollow structure is constituted by a vertical centre body and a supporting base and is obtained by assembling a plurality of parallelepiped-shaped modules, each comprising six reticulated plates forming the external walls of the parallelepiped. Said parallelepiped-shaped modules are suited to be connected to each other by means of vertical and horizontal tie rods, inserted in the modules themselves so as to pass through them, and plates constrained to said tie rods.

The structure defined in this way is thus hollow and the patent application mentioned above describes how, by waterproofing said structure both towards the inside and towards the outside of the basin, it is possible to define an accumulation and compensation tank inside which the water overflowing from the basin penetrates. By associating said accumulation and compensation tank with pumping and filtering systems suited to draw the water from inside it and to recirculate said water inside the basin, it is possible to obtain a so-called overflow system.

Said patent application also shows how to arrange and combine said modules in various manners, for example so as to form a wall with large steps facing towards the inside of the basin.

The structure described in said patent application is intended to be installed inside an excavation made in the ground, following the procedure described in the application itself, according to which an excavation is made whose slope is sufficient for the installation of the structure and of the waterproofing and protective sheets. Once the structure installation steps have been completed, the procedure includes the filling step, during which the cavity defined between the structure and the slope is filled with filling soil or another similar and equivalent material.

The procedure described above, like the procedures currently known and implemented for building swimming pools or underground tanks in general, thus requires that large masses of soil be moved, which consequently leads to high costs and to the need for large spaces.

Furthermore, in order to guarantee the stability of the structure against the thrusting action of the water and the ground, it is necessary to provide an enlarged base for the side walls of the structure itself. For this reason, the excavation to be made must be such as to allow also said enlarged base to be installed.

The subject of the present patent is a new type of modular element for making tanks, pools and basins in general, and the basin obtained therewith.

It is the main object of the present invention to provide a light modular structure, which can be laid not only underground, but also partially underground or above ground, on any supporting surface, even on a terrace or a floor.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a new modular element suited to be used to make a hollow structure in which it is possible to accommodate anchorage means intended to make said hollow structure a stable bearing structure, with no need to use concrete.

In particular in the case of underground or partially underground tanks, it is another object of the present invention to provide a new modular element which makes it possible to obtain a structure that, thanks to said anchorage means, does not require the presence of enlarged bases, thus reducing the required minimum width of the excavation. In fact, it is possible to make excavations with much steeper slopes, even vertical, with no need for the complex operations required to fill the excavation with material.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a new modular element that makes it possible to reduce as much as possible the overall weight of the swimming pool obtained in this way, thus allowing it to be installed also on terraces or floors. The structure obtained in this way is hollow and technical compartments are defined inside it, which are suitable for the installation of accessories of various types useful for the operation of the tank and for other purposes.

An object of the present invention, in fact, is to provide a new modular element which can be used to make a hollow structure where technical compartments are defined which can be used for the installation of parts or accessories of the hydraulic and/or electrical system, which therefore is/are completely integrated in the structure itself.

For example, said technical compartments can house filtering systems, pipes, cables or other elements.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a new modular element which can be used to make a hollow structure where technical compartments are defined which can be used for the installation of lighting systems or accessories in general, for example plants, monoliths or other ornamental elements, which therefore are completely integrated in the structure itself.

For example, said compartments can contain vases for plants. It is another object of the present invention to provide a new modular element which can be used to make a hollow structure where compartments can be defined which can be inspected and allow access to the pieces of equipment contained in the structure, for example in order to repair, replace or service them.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a new modular element which can be used to make a hollow structure where compartments can be defined which are suitable for the installation of accessory systems of the swimming pool, such as aerotherapy or other systems, as well as objects in general.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a new modular element that can be easily replaced, for example in order to replace its contents, for example in case of malfunctions, or in order to modify the structure of the pool.

The volume defined inside said hollow structure may also comprise one or more compartments intended to collect the water overflowing from the inside of the tank, as described in the patent application EP2817467 filed by the same applicant. In this case, said compartments, or accumulation and compensation compartments, can be associated with pieces of equipment and means suited to draw the water collected in them and to recirculate it inside the tank. Said equipment and means can also be conveniently installed inside one or more of said modular elements.

These and other direct and complementary objects are achieved by the new modular element for making swimming pools, tanks, hydromassage pools, swimming lakes and basins in general, comprising a three-dimensional body with sides or lateral walls.

One or more openings or holes and one or more internal channels or compartments are obtained in said three-dimensional body, wherein said internal channels or compartments communicate with the outside through said openings or holes.

Said openings or holes are arranged in such a way as to be substantially aligned with corresponding openings or holes made in adjacent modular elements.

Said openings and said channels or compartments are suitable for the insertion of one or more vertical and/or horizontal bars and/or tie rods suited to connect two or more of said modular elements and/or for the insertion of anchorage means, such as brackets or augers constrained to the ground and inserted in two or more of said superimposed modular elements so as to pass through them, said anchorage means being suited to compact and compress said superimposed modular elements against one another.

Said through openings are also and particularly suited to allow access to said box- shaped body, with the advantages described and claimed here below.

The basin is obtained by means of a plurality of said modular elements arranged and constrained to one another in such a way as to make up at least part of the structure of the basin.

In fact, according to the invention, said modular elements can be arranged and constrained to one another in such a way as to form the entirety of the structure or, alternatively, in such a way that the structure of the basin is made up of some walls or parts comprising said modular elements and some walls or parts obtained through other techniques, technologies or materials.

In order to make the structure stable, it is possible to use said vertical and/or horizontal tie rods inserted in said through openings provided in said two or more adjacent modular elements joined to one another.

In order to anchor said structure to the supporting surface, in particular in the case of basins built above ground, according to the invention it is possible to use ballast means housed in said modular elements and/or said anchorage means, such as brackets or augers constrained to the ground and inserted in said through openings of said modular elements.

Said anchorage means are particularly suited to prevent the walls of the structure from overturning due to the thrusting action of the water contained in the basin and/or of the surrounding ground, if any.

In the case of partially underground or underground basins, said solution with augers driven vertically into the ground and through said openings of said modular elements partially reduces the size of the excavation to be made to obtain the basin. In fact, it is possible to make excavations with much steeper slopes, since it is not necessary to make the base at the foot of the lateral walls of the structure, which may even be vertical.

In the preferred solution, said lateral walls of said new modular element can be assembled together in a removable manner in order to allow access to the inside of the box-shaped body.

In a possible solution, which is described and claimed here below, each one of said lateral walls can be constrained to each one of the adjacent walls by means of one or more pins or quick coupling elements, preferably of the removable type.

Said modular elements preferably have a substantially parallelepiped shape, comprising at least six of said lateral walls.

Said through openings made in said lateral walls of the new modular element, furthermore, are suited to allow the passage of cables and ducts belonging to the electrical and/or hydraulic and/or lighting system and/or cables and ducts used for supplying power to and operating other accessories.

Said modular elements are also suited to house ballasts intended to stabilize the obtained structure.

Said openings made in the modular elements can possibly be used also for the insertion of pipes in which concrete can be cast, in the case where it should be necessary to further reinforce and stabilize the structure of the basin.

Therefore, in the basin obtained in this manner, the electrical and/or hydraulic and/or lighting systems and/or the ornamental elements and/or other accessories for the operation of the swimming pool are integrated in the structure, being completely or partially housed inside one or more of said modular elements.

The basin comprises also at least one waterproofing layer at least for the surfaces of said structure facing towards the inside of the basin, meaning towards the space intended to be filled with water, for example for swimming purposes or for hydromassage.

It is also possible but not necessary to use at least one protective layer between said structure and said at least one waterproofing layer.

The basin preferably comprises also at least one covering layer facing towards the inside of the basin, directly or indirectly laid on said waterproofing layer, said covering layer conveniently being, for example, of the type described in patent EP2452020 registered in the name of the same applicant.

The new basin can furthermore comprise additional modular shaping elements, having any shape according to the needs and installed inside the basin in order to shape it as desired, for example under said waterproofing layer and/or under said covering layer, constrained to said modular elements making up the structure of the basin.

The new basin can also comprise one or more further waterproofing layers suited to enclose all or part of said modular elements making up said structure, in such a way as to define an accumulation and compensation tank of the type and with the functions described in patent application EP2817467, associated with devices and means for pumping and filtering the water collected inside it in order to recirculate it in the basin, if necessary, and thus obtain an overflow system.

The basin preferably comprises also a filtering and recirculation hydraulic system, with pipes, cables, vents and equipment in general located over the waterproofing layer or under the waterproofing layer and connected to the inside of the basin through flanges located at the level of openings made in the waterproofing layer. The basin may conveniently comprise also aerotherapy systems mounted as described above.

Said modular elements can also be conveniently used to make not only the lateral walls that delimit the sides of the basin, but also the bottom of the latter.

The hollow modular structure obtained with said new modular elements, therefore, can also be made at least partially underground and completely waterproofed, defining inside it an accumulation tank for rainwater or water of a different origin, which in turn can be reused for civil purposes, such as irrigation or other applications.

Thanks to this particular characteristic, the basin obtained can be conveniently installed in natural areas with particular hydrogeological requirements, where other types of pools could not be easily installed, if not by adopting special solutions. The waterproofing process applied to said rainwater accumulation tank is conveniently but not necessarily independent of said waterproofing process applied to the inside of the basin.

No cement work is required to make the new basin.

The new modular element offers also the advantage that it can be completely assembled on site, as well as the structure of the basin, which can be mounted and shaped on site even without a precise design and therefore can be adapted to any environment during construction.

Furthermore, said modular elements, being hollow, make up a very light structure, especially if they are made of plastic.

Said modular elements, in fact, can be made of any material suitable for the intended purpose, for example they can preferably be made of plastic or a foam material. However, according to the invention other materials can be used, such as wood, expanded clay, lightened concrete, etc.

Said modular elements can be premoulded or formed on site.

The structure, therefore, can be positioned also on floors, terraces or, in general, surfaces that may collapse due to excessive weight.

Furthermore, as already said, the structure of the basin, being hollow at least in its part constituted by said modular elements, defines compartments that are useful for various possible purposes, such as compartments for technical equipment, but also for objects in general, for containing plants, for the installation of ornaments in general, for making seats and furniture in general.

The basin obtained in this manner is also a furnishing element and is suited to be positioned in any environment, according to the needs.

Another advantage offered by the present invention lies in that it makes it possible to quickly erect said structure and therefore also the basin, which can be made in any space, since the parts making up said modular elements and the entire basin in general are light, small in size and easy to transport. For example, said waterproofing layers are constituted by folding sheets, while, according to a preferred embodiment, to make the covering layer it is sufficient to transport a few sacks of inert material and a few sacks of binding material.

On the contrary, the transport operations required to make other types of pre-formed tanks are difficult and wide manoeuvring and passage spaces are needed.

In a preferred solution, said new basin comprises:

a structure, wherein at least part of said structure is modular and hollow, and rests directly or indirectly on the ground or on a surface in general, said structure being in turn constituted by a plurality of said modular elements which are hollow or in any case provided with said through channels or compartments;

one or more of said anchorage means or augers driven into said surface or the ground and inserted in said superimposed modular elements in such a way as to pass through them, wherein said modular elements form at least part of said structure;

one or more of said horizontal and/or vertical tie rods and/or bars inserted in said adjacent and/or superimposed modular elements so as to pass through them, wherein said modular elements form at least part of said structure. Said new basin preferably comprises also the following:

one or more waterproofing layers, at least on the surface of said structure facing towards the inside of the basin; a possible but useful covering layer intended to constitute the inner wet surface of the basin, preferably but not necessarily of the type described in patent application EP2452020, which comprises, in brief, natural or artificial granular material, bound by a binding agent and arranged in such a way as to define interstices suited to allow water to reach the underlying layer; said covering layer can thus be very thin and therefore very light, as it does not have to bear the weight and the thrusting action of the water, being immersed in the water itself, but only the weight of the possible users, thus further reducing the overall weight of the resulting basin compared to the tanks and pools of the known type.

The new basin, furthermore, can conveniently comprise the following:

a possible further waterproofing layer placed between said structure and said ground or surface in general, with a possible but convenient protective layer intended to protect said further waterproofing layer with respect to the ground or surface in general on which the structure rests; said further waterproofing layer is used in particular in the case where the structure itself is going to be used to make accumulation tanks, for example for rainwater or for treating the water contained in said basin; for example, said accumulation tanks can be placed underground or partially underground under the basin or beside it, positioned in various manners also above ground and completely covered by the floor, thus being hidden;

a hydraulic and/or filtering and/or electrical and/or lighting and/or heating and/or water sterilizing system and so on, said system being completely or partially housed in one or more compartments defined inside said hollow structure or, generically, outside said hollow structure;

one or more compartments located inside said hollow structure and suited to be inspected through one or more opening or removable walls and to house various objects, plants, ornaments, etc.; one or more possible compartments located under the structure and defining a tank for the accumulation of rainwater or water with a different origin, and means for discharging said water, for example for irrigation or other purposes;

one or more possible compartments suited to collect the water overflowing from the inside of the basin, and means for pumping and filtering said water so that it can be recirculated in the basin, thus obtaining overflow systems. The new basin may also comprise a recirculation system capable of moving the water inside the entire basin, both over and under the covering layer.

The structure obtained in this way can also define partition walls suited to separate two or more spaces that constitute the tank or swimming pool.

The characteristics of the new modular element for making tanks, pools and basins in general and of the new basin obtained therewith are highlighted in greater detail in the following description, with reference to the attached drawings that are enclosed hereto by way of non-limiting example.

Figure 1 shows a first embodiment of a basin (10) placed above ground.

Figure 2 shows a second embodiment of a basin (11) placed partially underground. Figure 3 shows a third embodiment of a basin (12) placed underground.

Figure 3a shows an embodiment of the underground basin (12), wherein a wall (SI) of the structure (S) is made with the technology of the modular elements (2), while the remaining part of the basin (B) is made with another type of technology, for example using natural materials.

Figure 4 shows a fourth embodiment of the basin (13), placed above ground, with lower accumulation and compensation tank (A).

Figure 5 shows an exploded view of a modular element (20) carried out according to a possible embodiment.

The invention is a new modular element (20) for making pools, tanks, hydromassage pools, swimming lakes and basins (10, 11, 12, 13) in general, comprising a three- dimensional body with lateral walls or sides (201, 202, 203, 204, 205, 206) provided with one or more openings or holes (212), and one or more channels (215) or compartments (211) located inside said three-dimensional body and communicating with the outside through said openings or holes (212).

Said openings or holes (212) and said channels (215) or compartments (211) are oriented in various possible directions and are suitable for the insertion of cables, ducts, anchorage means (8), tie rods (Tl, T2), bars or other elements which are necessary to make at least part of the structure (S) of said basin (10, 11, 12, 13). Said modular element (20), for example, is a three-dimensional element made of EPS, inside which said channels (215), arranged according to various possible directions, are defined.

In the example shown in Figure 5, said modular element (20) is a box-shaped body, substantially parallelepiped in shape, for example cubic, comprising six lateral walls (201, 202, 203, 204, 205, 206) on each one of which one or more through openings or holes (212) are provided, for example homogeneously distributed.

Said openings (212) are aligned with one another in one or more directions, defining said insertion channels (215).

According to the invention, inside said modular elements (20) of the hollow type it is possible to house one or more stiffening elements, for example tubular elements mounted at the level of said openings (212), thus defining said insertion channels (215).

Said lateral walls (201, 202, 203, 204, 205, 206) can be preferably assembled together in a removable manner, so as to allow access to the inside of the box- shaped body itself, in which at least one compartment (211) is defined.

According to the invention, in order to further lighten said lateral walls (201, 202, 203, 204, 205, 206), these are substantially reticulated, meaning that they are constituted by a plurality of ribs (213) variously intersecting one another, substantially orthogonal to the plane on which the wall (201, 202, 203, 204, 205, 206) itself lies.

In this embodiment, said openings (212) are made, for example, with a rib (214) in the shape of a circumference or in any case suited to define the lateral walls of the opening (212) itself.

Figure 1 shows the structure forming the new basin (10), said structure being made up of a plurality of said modular elements (20) constrained to one another, for example through fixing elements and/or one or more horizontal (Tl) and/or vertical (T2) tie rods inserted in said through openings (212) of two or more adjacent modular elements (2) so as to pass through them, as schematically shown also in Figure 5.

According to the invention, the structure (S) may comprise also one or more horizontal connection elements between the elements that make it up.

The new basin is provided with anchorage means, such as ballasts, brackets (9) or augers (8) constrained to the ground and inserted in said through openings (212) of said two or more of said superimposed modular elements (20) so as to pass through them, said augers (8) being suited to compact and compress said superimposed modular elements (20) together.

Said augers (8) comprise, for example, an elongated portion (81) suited to be inserted in said through channels (215) and said through openings (212) so as to pass through them, and a threaded portion (82) suited to be screwed into the ground (T).

Figure 4 illustrates the use of brackets (9) for anchoring said modular elements (20), for example to a rigid background, such as a concrete surface or a generically paved surface.

Each one of said lateral walls (201, 202, 203, 204, 205, 206) can be constrained to each one of the adjacent walls (201, 202, 203, 204, 205, 206) through one or more quick coupling pins or elements or sections (7), preferably of the removable type. In the solution illustrated in Figure 5, for example, said fixing sections (7) comprise one or more fixing pins (71) suited to be inserted in apposite holes (209) or seats created in said lateral walls (201, 202, 203, 204, 205, 206), in proximity to their edges (210).

Said edges (210) can be bevelled, for example, and preferably at 45°, thus defining inclined walls in order to allow adjacent walls and also adjacent modular elements (20) to be precisely matched.

According to a possible alternative solution, said lateral walls can be constrained to one another by means of joining sections.

For example, the size of said modular elements (20) can be 40cm x 40cm.

The compartment (211) defined inside said modular elements (20) is also suited to house parts, pieces of equipment, devices necessary for the correct operation of the tank, or objects in general, even ornamental objects or plants (6), as in the examples shown in Figures 1, 2, 3, 4.

Said channels (215) and said through openings (212) made in said lateral walls (201, 202, 203, 204, 205, 206) of said modular elements (20) are suited to allow the passage of cables and ducts belonging to the electrical and/or hydraulic and/or lighting system and/or systems for supplying power to and operating other accessories.

One or more of said lateral walls (201, 202, 203, 204, 205, 206) of said modular elements (20), furthermore, can be temporarily removed, for example in order to allow access to the inside for inspection purposes, or permanently removed, for example for containing said plants (6).

According to the invention, one or more of said modular elements (20) may comprise one or more further covering walls, elements or layers (5) suited to be externally constrained to one or more of said lateral walls (201, 202, 203, 204, 205, 206) and having, for example, aesthetic or finishing purposes, in fact they are made, for example, of wooden strips, ceramic elements, the same type of material that covers the inside of the basin or any other material.

Said modular elements (20) can be arranged in various manners and constrained to one another in such a way as to form the structure (S) of the basin (10, 11, 12, 13), said structure being suited to rest, directly or indirectly, on a supporting surface (T) in general.

The electrical and/or hydraulic and/or lighting systems and/or the ornamental elements and/or other accessories for the operation of the pool are integrated in said structure (S), being completely or partially housed inside one or more of said modular elements (20) that make it up.

The basin (10, 11, 12, 13) then comprises a structure (S) defining the inner space (V) intended to contain water, wherein at least part of said structure (S) is hollow and formed by a plurality of said modular elements (20), which for example define one or more walls (SI) and/or the bottom (S2) of the basin itself.

Said structure (S) may also comprise one or more further modular elements (21, 22) of the type described above, but with different shape and size, for example in order to obtain lateral walls (SI) with large steps, towards the inside (V) and/or towards the outside of the basin, as shown in Figure 1.

The basin (10, 11, 12, 13) comprises also at least one waterproofing layer (3) at least for the surfaces of said structure (S) facing towards the inside (V) of the basin.

The basin (10, 11, 12, 13) preferably comprises also at least one covering layer facing towards the inside (V) of the basin, for example of the type described in the patent application EP2452020 filed by the same applicant.

Said covering layer can be applied directly or indirectly to said waterproofing layer (3). For example, it can be applied to nets or fabric sheets placed over the waterproofing layer.

The new basin (10, 11, 12, 13) can also comprise further modular shaping elements (4, 41), having any shape according to the needs and installed inside (V) the basin in order to shape it as desired, for example in order to make seats, backs, footrests, slopes, etcetera.

Said modular shaping elements (4, 41), for example, can be made of EPS or any other suitable material, they can be hollow or solid and, for example, they can be positioned under said waterproofing layer (3) and/or under said covering layer.

The new basin (10, 11, 12, 13) may conveniently comprise also at least one further waterproofing layer (31) placed on the surface of said structure (S) facing towards the outside of the basin, for example interposed between said structure (S) and said supporting surface (T), for example as shown in Figure 4.

Said further waterproofing layer (31), for example, is suited to enclose, independently or together with said waterproofing layer (3) facing towards the inside (V) of the basin, all or part of said modular elements (20) forming said structure (S), in such a way as to define an accumulation and compensation tank intended to collect the water overflowing from the inside of the basin, thus obtaining an overflow system, for example of the type and with the functions described in patent application EP2817467.

Said one or more waterproofing layers (3, 31) can also define a tank (A) positioned underground and under said basin (13), suitable for the collection and accumulation of rainwater, as shown in the example illustrated in Figure 4.

Said new basin (10, 11, 12, 13) can also comprise a possible but convenient protective layer for said waterproofing layer (31) placed under said structure (S), said protective layer being interposed between said waterproofing layer (31) and said supporting surface (T) or seat in general where said structure (S) is installed. Therefore, with reference to the above description and the attached drawings, the following claims are expressed.

Claims

1, Modular element (20) for making the structure (S) of tanks, swimming pools and basins (10, 11, 12, 13) in general, suited to be arranged in various manners and constrained to other modular elements (20) in such a way as to constitute at least part of the structure (S) of the basin (10, 11, 12, 13), characterized in that it comprises a three-dimensional body with lateral faces or sides (201, 202, 203, 204, 205, 206), on which one or more openings or holes (212) are provided, and one or more channels (215) or compartments (211) located inside said three-dimensional body and communicating with the outside through said openings or holes (212), said openings or holes (212) and said channels (215) or compartments (211) being suited to allow the insertion of cables, ducts, anchorage means (8), tie rods (Tl, T2), bars or other elements necessary for building at least part of the structure (S) of said basin (10, 11, 12, 13).

2. Modular element (20) according to claim 1, characterized in that said three- dimensional body is a solid body inside which in any way there are said channels

(215) or compartments (211) communicating with said openings (212).

3, Modular element (20) according to claim 1, characterized in that said three- dimensional body is a box-shaped hollow body in turn comprising said sides (201, 202, 203, 204, 205, 206) in which said through openings or holes (212) are provided in order to ensure access to said one or more internal channels (215) or compartments (211), and wherein said openings (212) are aligned in one or more directions defining corresponding directions of insertion of said cables, ducts and other elements.

4. Modular element (20) according to claim 3, characterized in that said sides (201, 202, 203, 204, 205, 206) can be assembled together in a removable manner in order to allow access to the box-shaped body itself, where at least one compartment (211) is defined which can be used for inspection purposes and/or in which components, pieces of equipment, service devices for said basin (10, 11, 12, 13) can be housed, and wherein said one or more through openings or holes (212) are suited to allow the passage of cables and ducts of the electrical and/or hydraulic and/or lighting system of said basin (10, 11, 12, 13) and/or to supply power to and/or operate other accessories, and/or to allow the passage of said tie rods and/or bars and/or anchorage means.

5. Modular element (20) according to claim 3 or 4, characterized in that said lateral walls are formed by a plurality of ribs (213) intersecting one another in various manners, substantially orthogonal or transversal to the plane on which said side (201, 202, 203, 204, 205, 206) lies, and wherein said openings (212) are provided with one or more ribs (214) suited to define the sides of the opening (212) itself, and wherein said ribs (214) of two or more adjacent modular elements (20) define the direction of insertion of said cables and/or ducts and/or tie rods and/or bars and/or anchorage means.

6. Modular element (20) according to claim 4, characterized in that each one of said sides (201, 202, 203, 204, 205, 206) can be constrained to each one of the adjacent sides (201, 202, 203, 204, 205, 206) by means of one or more fixing pins or elements or profiles (7) suited to fix them together in a rapid and removable manner.

7. Modular element (20) according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that it is made of plastic, wood, expanded clay, lightened concrete, premoulded or formed on site, EPS, steel, plastic reinforced by fiber glass or another suitable material.

8. Tank, swimming pool, hydromassage pool or basin (10, 11, 12, 13) in general, comprising a structure (S) defining the space (V) intended to contain water and in turn constituted by a plurality of modular elements (20, 21, 22) according to one or more of the preceding claims, arranged in various manners and constrained to one another in order to define the sides (SI) and/or the bottom (S2) of said structure (S) itself, characterized in that it comprises:

vertical (T2) and/or horizontal (Tl) bars and/or tie rods inserted through said openings or holes (212) and through said channels or compartments (211) of said modular elements (20) and suited to connect together two or more of said modular elements (20) placed side by side;

one or more anchorage means or screws (8) driven vertically into the ground and into two or more of said modular elements (20) vertically superimposed to each other, suited to compact and compress said modular elements (20) together, and wherein said structure (S) is suited to be directly or indirectly rested on any supporting surface (T), even a terrace or a floor, in order to build said basin (10, 11, 12, 13) completely underground or partially underground or above ground.

9. Tank, swimming pool, hydromassage pool or basin (10, 11, 12, 13) in general according to claim 8, characterized in that it comprises at least one waterproofing layer (3) suited to waterproof at least the surfaces of said structure (S) facing towards the inside (V) of the basin intended to be filled with water.

10, Tank, swimming pool, hydromassage pool or basin (10, 11, 12, 13) in general according to claim 8 or 9, characterized in that it comprises electrical and/or hydraulic and/or lighting systems and/or ornamental elements and/or other accessories for the operation of said basin (10, 11, 12, 13), said electrical and/or hydraulic and/or lighting systems and/or ornamental elements and/or other accessories being integrated in said structure (S) and being completely or partially housed inside one or more of said channels or compartments (211) of said modular elements (20).

11. Tank, swimming pool, hydromassage pool or basin (10, 11, 12, 13) in general according to claim 9, characterized in that it preferably comprises also at least one covering layer facing towards the inside of the basin, applied to said waterproofing layer (3) directly or indirectly, in the latter case through the interposition of one or more supporting nets or fabric layers or layers in general and/or one or more further walls or covering layers (5) positioned outside one or more of said sides (201, 202, 203, 204, 205, 206) of said modular elements (20) and having an aesthetical or in any case finishing function.

12, Tank, swimming pool, hydromassage pool or basin (10, 11, 12, 13) in general according to one or more of claims 8, 9, 10, 11, characterized in that one or more of said modular elements (20) can be accessed or replaced.

13, Tank, swimming pool, hydromassage pool or basin (10, 11, 12, 13) in general according to one or more of claims 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, characterized in that it comprises:

one or more further waterproofing layers (31) placed on the surface of said surface (S) that faces towards the outside of the basin or generally interposed between said structure (S) and said supporting surface (T);

one or more of said modular elements (20) making up said structure (S) and/or located under said structure (S) and/or arranged in any way with respect to said structure (S), defining one or more compartments or tanks (A) completely or partially enclosed by said waterproofing layers (3, 31) and intended to collect the overflowing water or the water flowing out from the inside of the tank and/or rainwater and/or water with different origins;

means for removing said water from said compartment (A), for example for irrigation purposes or for other purposes and/or for recirculating it inside the basin.

14, Tank, swimming pool, hydromassage pool or basin (10, 11, 12, 13) in general according to claim 13, characterized in that it comprises at least one protective layer suited to protect said one or more waterproofing layers (31) from contact with the ground or the surface (T) in general on which said structure (S) of the basin (10, 11, 12, 13) rests.