Designing pool projects outside the proverbial box

by arslan_ahmed | November 14, 2022 6:30 am

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By Chris Gregory

Innovation plays an integral role, but a pool designer and builder who can deliver forward thinking is also required. Innovation in North America’s pool industry has certainly become more refined and impressive over the past decade. The industry has seen projects become more desirable, structurally sound, and diversely designed, while equipment become more energy efficient, impressive, and easy to use.

This does not even take into account the top-notch designs and builds, overwhelming beauty, and attention to detail which is found on some pools today. In fact, there are many extraordinary and innovative features currently available. These include: moving pool floors, sunken living rooms with fire pits in the pool, cantilever decks on water walls, acrylic windows, lazy rivers, equipment bunkers, and two-storey islands. Tanning ledges and Baja shelves are two of the most common upgrades on pools today.

To see some of these exceptional upgrades and innovation in pool design, one can look to a few companies based out of the U.K. and southwestern U.S.

The sunken living room and the floating island

One impressive, innovative feature which can be incorporated into a pool design is a floating island and sunken room. These can be accessed either from the deck or a series of floating stones creating a walkway.

The building practices of the company will dictate how the design will be created and built. Integrating various rooms in and around the water creates a more interactive venue with multiple views that are stunning, especially where infinity edge detail is concerned.

An added feature—both practical and jaw-dropping—is the inclusion of below-grade bunkers within the footprint of the design. By suspending the decking and even the pool, it can include not only mechanical and storage rooms, but bathrooms, change rooms, saunas, steam rooms, and even entertainment spaces.

To top off the entertainment room, customers can add an acrylic window. This type of construction allows for a frost-free footprint and an easily accessible below-grade function.

Resort-like pools ooze luxury, relaxation, and create a knockout entertainment area. One company for example, Red Rock Pool & Spas, in Arizona, often adds various fire features, cantilever decks on the water walls and the beautiful effects of quality outdoor lighting. The room within the pool can be a living area, bar, kitchen, or dining space—whichever best suits the homeowner’s lifestyle.

The company, which designs and installs pools nationally and internationally, strives to make every project a masterpiece. Its Red Rock Design division specializes in “unique” and “creative” pool projects, producing plans that set new industry standards.

The trend now is creating the “wow” factor and designing various entertainment areas on multiple levels to create an interactive venue. An increasing number of homeowners are transforming their backyards into an interactive extension of their home and building resort-like pools.

When clients are interested in installing a pool of this calibre, it is important to consult architects, property developers, and interior designers. Working alongside these professionals will help to create a consistent and stunning look, regardless of one’s design preference

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The moving pool floor

What if a pool (indoor or outdoor) had a moving floor, which could have variable pool depths or completely disappear? People could sit back and relax as the pool area is seamlessly replaced with a solid movable floor which can then be used as a dance function venue, play area, dining hall, or gym.

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The pool floor operates on a variable-depth pool system and a fixed finished floor in the fully up position. The pool floor is a structural stainless steel space frame incorporating a lifting system to raise and lower the floor as required. This ensures the pool can support its maximum static load at any level.

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The pool is designed and built to accommodate the moving floor and remains in a constant state of “ready-to-use” regardless of the position it is in. When the floor is in operation, the pool water percolates above and below the moving floor’s structural deck via the 8 mm (0.315 in.) perimeter slot and the pool water circulation system. The rate of operation is approximately 100 mm (3.9 in.) per minute; however, this is by design, and the floor is driven via an external drive system.

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The pool floor structure is designed and manufactured to include any step detail required. Each step is positioned in the correct location as the floor moves down, while in the fully-up position it carries the same design load as the rest of the floor.

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The floor can be stopped at any level for swimming or exercise, allowing a shallow feature pool for children, or down to the maximum operating depth for a diving pool.

No matter how big or unique a project is, healthy water conditions and visual clarity of pool water remain an expectation of every pool owner. Pool water which has the correct pH level is easier on skin, the pool equipment, and most concrete pool finishes.

Innovation is a term which is used more frequently these days and should certainly not be misused. By delving into these different pool types, one can see how today’s pool builders are not only incorporating innovation into their designs, but also superior quality.

Author

Chris Gregory is registered with the Society of Watershape Designers, the International Watershape Institute (IWI), and is president of Eco-Pools Inc. based in the Greater Toronto Area. Gregory’s company focuses on upscale, energy-efficient pools. Since 1988, he has designed and built pools in both Canada and Australia for the residential and commercial markets, as well as the film industry. Gregory’s work has also been featured on HGTV. He can be reached via email at chris@eco-pools.ca.

Source URL: https://www.poolspamarketing.com/trade/features/designing-pool-projects-outside-the-proverbial-box/

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