ARCHITECTURAL FEATURE OF THE MOMENT
A BEAUTIFUL BLEND OF NATURE AND DESIGN, THESE CREATIONS HAVE US DREAMING OF OUR OWN AQUATIC GARDEN OASIS
FEATURE Oonagh Turner
Why a natural pool? ‘The feeling of being immersed in nature brings a sense of calm to the garden and natural pools are delightful to experience at different times of the day: early morning when the air is cool, during the heat of the day, or in the evening when stars are visible.’
Michael McGowan, project landscape architect at Evens Architects
What’s the look? ‘Rocks in all forms add a naturalistic feel to a space and depending on the type and placement, can read both classical and contemporary in style.’
Katherine Aul Cervoni, founder and principal of landscape design firm Staghorn NYC
W hat’s the cost? ‘The costs can vary greatly when it comes to natural pools. If you use a phosphate filter (a natural rock f ilter) as opposed to a gravel bed to condition the water, the costs are minimally larger than a normal chlorinated pool. If you use a gravel bed and plants, the cost is about double because you are making a pool twice the size – half for swimming, half for filtration. The filtration areas do substantially contribute to the aesthetics. They are quite beautiful, but they do cost something.’
Jeffrey Klug, partner at Butz and Klug Architecture
STEPPING STONES
With natural swimming pools, you don’t need to worry about covering them up in colder seasons. The broken path across this pool in Gloucester, MA, turns it into something of awater feature, blending landscape design with the pool itself. ‘The owner was intrigued by the natural pool because of its ability to blend with the landscape and the fact that it wasn’t a big empty hole in the ground in the winter,’ explains Jeffrey Klug from Butz and Klug Architecture, who designed the space. ‘Aesthetics was a big determinant.’
GENTLE TRANSITION
There’s little in the way of a border around the natural pool of this home, which suits it just fine given that it’s located a stone’s throw from Praia Grande beach on Portugal’s Algarve – a more defined line between the land and the water would probably feel a bit too artificial in such asetting. The softer landscaping also suits the serene white exterior of the house itself, designed by Lisbon architectural practice Atelier Data. Landscape design, Polen
IN THE ZONE
Natural swimming pools are often split into a regeneration zone with plant life, built alongside the primary swimming zone – and the best designs make a feature out of them. In this Montecito project by Evens Architects, landscape architect Michael McGowan divided the two with a submerged pool edge. ‘The pool is divided into two: a natural area recirculates and cleans the water
