Pool builders up the ante with audio and visual elements

by jason_cramp | April 1, 2015 4:05 pm

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By Barry Justus

Consumers are exposed to imaginative ideas and concepts from a variety of sources such as reality television, exotic travel, and niche magazines. However, the Internet, by far, is the most common source of inspiration. Pool builders are often presented with piles of images accumulated by clients eager to incorporate similar—or identical—concepts into their own backyard.

From entry-level to large-budget estate projects, more homeowners are requesting their pool builder to provide design elements that incorporate audio, visual, and sensory perceptions. Driving this trend further is the advent of realistic 3D design programs that can place the client anywhere within their project. From a sales perspective, providing the client this type of live participation in their project design can be a positive experience.

Complex multi-level designs that stimulate multiple senses simultaneously can best be represented by fly-through virtual reality, or 3D design programs. Clients can still relate to a well-presented 2D plan view, but for the average consumer, nothing helps to sell a project more than allowing the client to experience a conceptual design.

In this sense, pool builders need to present clients with a complete portfolio comprising photos of past projects, videos, sample pieces, sample boards, mock-ups, construction plans, engineering diagrams, 3D programs, renderings, hand-drawn artistic impressions, and project site visits. Let them touch, feel, and listen so they can visualize their project to see how audio, visual, and sensory components can turn their backyard into an entertainment destination.

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Creating an auditory experience

The audio component of both indoor and outdoor water shapes cannot be overlooked or minimized. This portion of the project, however, is reliant on
the designer’s knowledge and, more importantly, on their on-site experience with completed projects.

Indoor audio

Every detail of an indoor pool room needs to be designed with the acoustic footprint in mind, taking things such as noise created by the dehumidification system into consideration. Therefore, the architect, interior designer, and pool designer/builder need to interact during the planning phase or there could be potential for a seriously flawed acoustic performance of the finished interior space.

Large commercial indoor spaces often come equipped with noise dampening curtains, and roof materials to mitigate the acoustic echoing that can occur in the aquatic environment. Residential indoor spaces need to be designed carefully or the noise level can become intolerable. For example, clients will often ask designers to incorporate large elaborate rock waterfalls or sheers into an indoor pool room without knowing the subsequent acoustic effects. A waterfall creates an incredible amount of noise and releases a large amount of humidity into the air—issues that builders want to avoid in an indoor pool environment. Even a subtle perimeter overflow pool needs to be properly executed to eliminate potential drain noises. Carefully balanced sound systems in an indoor pool environment need to be designed to handle relatively high humidity levels, as well as avoiding unnecessary penetrations of the vapour barrier surrounding the building. Therefore, a competent audio design/build firm will need to assess the needs of the individual project and should be invited into the design phase as early as possible.

Underwater speakers work particularly well in indoor pool rooms as the acoustic environment is relatively stable. Indoor pools are often used year-round for exercise and the addition of an integrated sound system, with an appropriate water feature, will lead to increased enjoyment of the pool, not to mention happier, healthier clients.

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Outdoor audio

There is more leeway when designing an outdoor project that includes audio components. The advent of specialized computer design programs allow for fairly precise placement of speakers, subwoofers, and underwater components. It becomes quite difficult to balance outdoor sound systems while trying to cover large expanses of open pool water.

Quite often, backyard projects are designed with little or no regard for subsequent audio installations. Therefore, it is critical to bring in
a qualified audio designer early on, especially for luxury or estate projects.

In some cases, pillars, planters, or wall penetrations may be needed to incorporate an intricate network of speakers capable of creating an exciting sound experience. In an ideal world, the subwoofers are buried, placed in planters, or hidden in walls or cabinets that are designed to accommodate these features. Hiding speakers can be a daunting chore when trying to incorporate them after the project is completed. An easy and tempting quick fix is to incorporate faux garden rock speakers; however, these systems rarely sound or look nice.

Another benefit to incorporating an audio system in the initial backyard design is to avoid overlooking the massive amount of cables required to drive speakers, control systems, and subwoofers—not to mention the specific location for various audio components. On large projects, for example, thousands of feet of conduit must be installed before the concrete is poured. It is not cost effective to tunnel, chip, bore, core drill, or bury the wires later. Quite often, the audio crew shows up at the end of the job, which is way too late to hide these components, resulting in a substandard visual and audio installation.

Further, most audio components are highly sensitive to heat, cold, and moisture and, thus, need to be contained in an environmentally controlled space. Therefore, an outdoor sound installation needs the input of a competent audio company right from the get-go to ensure a successful, cost-effective installation.

Outdoor pool projects also often incorporate loud water features (e.g. sheers and waterfalls). If the builder explains the potential auditory levels of these features in advance of construction, there should be no problems. In some cases, more subtle water features such as wet walls, small sheers, spillways, and foam jets provide an acoustic alternative and are less obtrusive. Even a 0.3- to 0.6-m (1- to 2-ft) wide sheer built a few feet above the water can be incredibly loud in a small residential backyard. When designing an outdoor space it may be appropriate to create a Zen-area with no speakers and very little sound—other than trickling water—to form a tranquil oasis in the client’s backyard.

To ensure this goes off without a hitch, it is wise to design all of the acoustic elements of an outdoor space well in advance of the construction process. The pool and landscape designer, architect, audio expert, electrician, and construction team all need
to communicate well in advance of breaking ground to complete the project successfully.

ADDING A FLOATING TELEVISION

[4] Televisions have become a de riguer component of many outdoor projects—from a simple, flat screen TV brought outside for a special event to sophisticated outdoor televisions designed for all-weather use. This author recently designed and installed a large-scale pool project which incorporates a dual widescreen television that rises from the surface of the pool water and rotates at the touch of a button. The unit raises via a lift, installed by FM Audio in Brantford, Ont., housed in a waterproof bunker located below the surface of the pool.

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Creating a visual experience

The visual component of a project is absolutely critical to the success of a design. From small spaces to estate projects, the most striking aspect of any backyard entertainment area is the overall visual impact. Every builder has seen or been involved in 
a project that simply does not work from a visual perspective. Therefore, keep in mind, less is more. Too many options, bad colour choices, unnecessary design elements, and poor workmanship, will often result in plain ugly.

As pool (backyard) designers/builders, it is imperative the entire project is conceptualized from
a visual perspective. Often projects are broken up into small subsections (e.g. subcontracted components such as the pool, deck, and landscaping) with no overall control or design influence, and the results can be disastrous. Attention to detail during all design stages will avoid this dilemma. A project will always have a greater chance of success by hammering out the details (e.g. design, material choices, etc.) in advance and a project manager is responsible for co-ordinating the final look, sound, and feel of every element. When there are ‘too many cooks in the kitchen’ it can spoil the project. In some cases, on large-scale jobs, there can be too many egos involved, which is why it is important to have one project leader that can accept design and construction details from other professionals.

It is best to avoid situations where the client assumes the role of designer and/or project manager. It can lead to cost overruns, poor workmanship, scheduling nightmares, bad designs and, quite often, long-term maintenance and performance-cost increases due to items omitted during the construction phase.

Having substantial control of the overall design and visual components can make a huge difference when it comes to the final impact the project has on the client. A number of design factors such as clean lines, balance, harmony, symmetry, textures, colour pallet, focal points, vertical elements, raised/sunken areas, all contribute to the overall ‘look.’

In most cases, the most striking visual elements in the pool design/build field are fire and water features. These components involve auditory, visual, and sensory components. By combining fire and water features it evokes multiple emotions for viewers. It is an incredibly powerful visual statement to watch fire near still water in a nighttime environment.

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Firing it up

Flame effects can be as simple as a manual tiki torch, to elaborate flame bars, fireplaces, and other custom designed products. In this regard, fire features should be placed in a safe location within the project design and clients should be advised on their proper use.

The sound, smell, sight, and power emitted by flame features can be difficult to capture during the design phase, of course; however, it would be a rare occurrence for a client to express disappointment in adding any type of fire element to their backyard project. In this case, however, the ‘less is more’ theory still holds true when incorporating these features as it is easy, and tempting, to get carried away with this detail.

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Moving water

Water features play a big part in setting the mood in an aquatic environment. Water features can take many forms in a backyard project—from mirror-like reflective surfaces created by a perimeter overflow pool, or a smooth sheet of water on a wet wall to the turbulent action of a foam jet, laminar, or waterfall.

Further, by incorporating automation features and variable-speed pumps (VSPs) into water feature designs, the client has full control of the ‘water mood’ created in their backyard. For instance, more power, equals more water, which results in an increased auditory effect, not to mention an ever-changing look and feel to their project.

Light it up

Nighttime lighting features can be used to create incredible visual displays and powerful creative effects, which also serve to dictate the mood of the entire environment. This is another advantage to 3D design programs as they can be used effectively to simulate night lighting effects, but often old-
fashioned trial and error methods using portable lights will determine the final resting place for landscape lighting.

Designers can incorporate a vast array of illumination features in an aquatic design, including up/down lighting, bench lighting, hidden lights, rope lights, wide angle, spot lights, coloured lights, light-emitting diode (LED), standard lights, and back lighting. It is only the designer’s imagination, experience, and planning—in addition to the client’s budget—that controls the final result. With this, many options become available. One of the best ways to plan an illumination schematic is to install the lights in zones so different moods and scenes can be created at the touch of a button.

Using art

Incorporating a sculpture or metalworking feature as a visual design element can also take a project to the next level. From subtle to ornate, including artistic elements in a backyard landscape can provide a main focal point or an interesting footnote to the project.

More entertainment features necessitates automation

As today’s backyard projects become more complex, the ability to control the many audio and visual features included in any one design becomes more critical. More builders are finding it necessary to provide their clients with a number of automation and control options using Wi-Fi connectivity—from handheld remotes and in-home control systems to mobile phone and tablet devices. In some cases, the home’s automation system may even need to be integrated with more traditional pool controls.

Backyard entertainment will continue to expand

Multiple sensory features—big or small—will continue to be a major design component included in every backyard project. Sight, sound, and touch have an integral role in creating the ultimate outdoor entertainment space that will provide an incredible sensory experience for the client every time they step into their backyard.

[8]Barry Justus is the owner of Poolscape Inc., and Justus International Consulting. He is an international lecturer and author of more than 40 articles on pool design and construction. Justus is also a fellow of the Society of Watershape Designers (SWD) and a member of Pool & Spa Marketing‘s editorial advisory board (EAB). More than 90 per cent of his projects designed and built over the last decade have won a national or international award. He can be reached via e-mail at barry@poolscape.com[9].

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