Spain · ES
Spain: where the chiller meets 38 °C and the sauna meets the sea
Spain is the country we put first. The brief changes with the place: villas on the Costa del Sol, fincas in Mallorca, hotel courtyards in Ibiza, padel clubs from Marbella to Madrid. Spain is one climate on the map and six in practice, and its rules are set region by region and sometimes street by street.
Sections on this page
Six climates under one flag
| Where | The climate in one line | What we design for |
|---|---|---|
| Costa del Sol and Andalusia | hot and dry summers, with hot north-westerly spells; mild winters | a chiller sized for 38–40 °C, shade over the glass, UV on the timber |
| Balearic Islands | hot summers, wind on the north coasts, drought in some years | a plant that does not waste water, island freight, protected rural land |
| Valencia and the Costa Blanca | hot and humid summers, heavy rain in autumn | ventilated plant rooms above ground, drainage that copes with a downpour |
| Barcelona and Catalonia | warm and humid, dense city blocks | roof terraces, communal consent, quiet chillers |
| Madrid and the plateau | very hot summers and frosty winters at about 650 m | heavier insulation, drained base, a cabin used more in winter than in summer |
| Canary Islands | mild all year, trade winds, occasional Saharan dust | basalt and salt, special freight and tax arrangements |
Each has a page: Marbella and the Costa del Sol, Mallorca, Ibiza and Menorca, Barcelona, Madrid, the Canary Islands and the Costa Blanca and Valencia.
Who we draw for in Spain
- Boutique hotels on the coast and the islands, with courtyards and a rota: see boutique hotels.
- Owners of rental villas, who want a sauna and a pair of pools that work in January and in August: see holiday lets.
- Padel clubs from Marbella to Madrid, with a recovery room in mind: see padel and racquet clubs.
- Clinics and gyms in Madrid and Barcelona, and developers and architects in every region.
- Private owners, Spanish and foreign, of fincas, patio houses and new villas: see private homes and fincas.
Rules are regional: what to ask, and of whom
In practice the order of questions is: your ayuntamiento first; your regional tourism office if you let; your regional health authority if guests share the pool. One national text is worth knowing. Real Decreto 742/2013 treats hotel and tourist-accommodation pools as public-use pools, gives community pools a lighter set of duties and leaves a private single-family pool with a single article, on notifying incidents. It names neither plunge pools nor saunas, which is why the health authority is the right place to ask.
Letting adds the registration rule in the paragraph below, and the cabin itself is a question of minor works or a licence, decided by the town hall.
Mains, boards and the amps to ask about
Spain's low-voltage regulation sets the minimum design power of a dwelling: 5,750 W at 230 V for basic electrification, which is 25 A, and 9,200 W, 40 A, for the higher grade, electrificación elevada (Reglamento Electrotécnico para Baja Tensión, ITC-BT-10, BOE). Distributors must supply single-phase on request up to 14,490 W at 230 V, about 63 A. Nothing in the text we read calls three-phase usual; ask your distributor what is offered above that limit.
Put our loads beside those numbers. A 6 kW heater draws about 26 A, which on its own would exceed a basic design power and fills two thirds of the higher one; a 4 HP chiller adds about 16 A. The contracted power on your bill and the main breaker decide the real room, so ask your electrician. See villa mains or three-phase.
A year on a Spanish terrace
| Season | On the coast and islands | Inland and in the cities |
|---|---|---|
| Winter | warm pool and sauna are the draw; the cold pool is for the brave | the cabin earns its keep; plunge pools are used on cold clear mornings |
| Spring | everything is in use; guests arrive and the pool plant is switched back on | shoulder season: the best weeks for a plunge pool |
| Summer | cold pool and shade; the sauna is a late-evening habit | chillers work hardest; shade and ventilation decide the result |
| Autumn | the second shoulder season; guests want the warm side again | first cold nights; time for drain-down checks on outdoor cabins |
Planning around that calendar is half the design. A hotel that opens in April and closes in October needs a plant that can be shut down and restarted without a visit. A villa let all year needs both pools covered and the heater on a timer. We put the seasonal routine on a card, in the language of the person who does it.
Five words for the first call with a Spanish town hall
A villa and a club, in numbers
Getting the crates there
Crates arrive by sea at a Spanish port, typically Algeciras, Málaga, Valencia or Barcelona, or Palma and Las Palmas for the islands, then by road. The last mile is where Spain surprises: the narrow streets of white villages, gated communities with their own works rules, and hillside villas reached by one lane. We ask for the width of the road and the door in the first message, and plan a crane where one is needed. Delivery is quoted in the layout.
Spain in published numbers
Spain received 96.8 million international tourists in 2025, a record and 3.2% more than in 2024 (INE, Frontur, definitive data). By origin the largest groups were the United Kingdom with 19.1 million, France with 12.8 million and Germany with 12.1 million; Ireland sent 3.05 million, up 10.2%. Through Airbnb, Booking and Expedia, 189.5 million nights were booked in Spain in 2025, up 11.1% and second in the EU only to France (Eurostat). The Global Wellness Institute puts Spain's wellness economy at $106 billion in 2024, fourteenth in the world. These are the size of the audience, not a return on any project, and we quote none.
Do you have an office in Spain?
Not at present. We draw in 3D, build in our own workshop and ship to Spain, and every quote includes installation on site. How that is staffed at your address is something we put in writing before you pay a deposit.
Can you work with my architect?
Yes. Send the plans; we return the circuit drawn onto them, with loads, weights and the plant space marked.
Are your prices in euros?
Yes, indicative ranges in euros, before VAT. The price list has them.
Which region is easiest?
No region is hard, but islands and protected land add time. Ask early about the plot, and we plan around it.
Other coasts
The same drawing under a different sky
Portugal
Algarve, Lisbon, Comporta, Porto and Madeira: Atlantic wind, alojamento local and municipal rules.
Read on
Ireland
Sea swimmers, country houses and hotels: weatherproof decks, glass cabins and a cold dip within five steps.
Read on
Cyprus
Limassol towers, Paphos villas and Troodos villages: heat, humidity and water scarcity shape every project.
Read on