What’s new in pool design? James Lascelles Senior Landscape Architect, OFTB
What’s new in pool design? Pool design is ever-changing. From the traditional rectangular pools of the 1920s and 30s, to the kidney-shaped pools of the 1970’s and 80s. Today’s pool design is no exception. A few features stand out. New pool designs have become more sympathetic to the existing architecture of the house and surrounding gardens, picking up colour tones used elsewhere. This has led to a whole range of new pool tiles becoming available on the market, particularly preferencing the grey colour palette over traditional blue tiles. These range from dark charcoal to very pale grey. Designers and their clients have also begun to appreciate the water colour produced from various tile colours: white tiles will produce clear blue water, mid-grey tiles will produce a clean, turquoise-green water colour, and black tiles will reflect the landscape beyond the pool like a mirror. This brings something natural to the garden that a synthetic-coloured pool tile does not replicate. Equally important is the tile choice on the outside of the pool, particularly where the pool is raised out of ground and the exposed vertical side is clad in tiles. Large stone or porcelain tiles on the outside, with a subtle texture and small glittering glass mosaic tiles internally, help create the sense of something precious - like a jewellery box that is plain on the outside, but glittering internally. This looks great with lush planting in a garden bed along the front of the pool. The ‘beach entry’, or widened first step into a pool, has also grown in popularity in recent pool design. About 200mm deep, these are wide enough to lay down on or to place a couple of semi-submerged sun-loungers, which is perfect for those very hot days in Melbourne. They remind me of Melbourne’s Port Phillip Bay beaches where you can lay around quite comfortably in the shallow calm water.
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What are consumers currently demanding? Much of the recent developments in pool design and their operation has been led by the savvy and well-informed consumer. Over recent years, consumers have been increasingly requested Dead Sea mineral salts to keep their pool water clean, whilst being gentler on the skin. The magnesium content is said to be therapeutic for various skin conditions such as eczema, and has a definite softer feel. In terms of heating, more clients are requesting electric heat pumps, which in combination with solar panels on their roof, provide a cheaper and more environmentally conscious method of heating their pool in the long term. With garden spaces getting smaller and smaller, clients are asking more of their pools. If the space is limited, a client may only have enough space for a spa or a smaller plunge pool. In this instance, they ask that the pool is deep enough to plunge in to in the hot summer months, but small enough to use as a spa, with jets and a good heater for the winter months. This gives them something beautiful to look at that can be used year-round. Tired of cleaning glass pool fencing, some clients are asking for alternatives. Upright steel tube pool fencing, or thin steel rods connected by a top bar, form an interesting, clean aesthetic that does not require the same maintenance as glass cleaning.
What types of pools are you designing for interstate and overseas builds? Recently I was appointed to work up a design for a small, high-end holiday resort in Vanuatu. It is a beautiful spot, with the beachfront accommodation spilling out on to the lawn overlooking the Pacific Ocean. The client requested a beautiful wet-edge pool and the design brief called for plenty of sun-lounging space on the deck to the side for the guests. The prize feature is unquestionably the wet-edge where, from the central pavilion building, the pool water slips over the edge, appearing to meet with the sea beyond. It is stunning! In addition to the design of this pool, we supplied the pool equipment needed for the build, having it shipped to Vanuatu for construction locally. OFTB has also designed a range of domestic and resort pools in the Philippines, Saudi Arabia, Kenya, Greece and South Africa. More locally, I was appointed to design a pool for an interstate client in Samford, Queensland. This client was open to us pushing the boundaries in terms of design, wanting something a bit more interesting than a standard, rectangular shaped pool. The pool design included a wet-edge, a ramped entry (rather than stairs), largeformat stone tiles cladded internally, and a row of trees that transect the pool into two separate areas. The finished pool is stunning, with the wet-edge overlooking the beautiful Samford Valley.
Recent build in Berwick, May 2021
