Natural Swimming Pools

Natural Swimming Pools: simple, sustainable and good for you. 

Over the past few months here at Studio 31, we have seen an increasing trend towards specification of natural pools in our residential projects, so we thought we would take the opportunity to tell you a bit about them.

Natural pools are not a new concept. Consider for example the onsen’s of Japan and the hot springs of Scandinavia. We will concede that these are more associated with bathing than swimming but none the less illustrate human’s affinity with naturally occurring water. Varieties of natural swimming pools became popular in Austria in the 1980s and over the intervening decades have been used on quite a wide-ranging scale as part of both private and public realm schemes across Europe.

Aesthetics

Natural pools can be designed in a whole variety of styles, shapes and sizes. They can have a plant filtration system which is ideal for cooler climates like the UK or, for those who prefer a more traditional pool look, a gravel filtration system can be used. Fewer people swim during the winter months than the summer so a natural pool means that when you are not using it for its primary function, you aren’t left looking at a pool cover but instead an unusual and interesting natural feature in the landscape. Natural pools are so diverse in design, that they can be carefully integrated into most schemes and to meet most clients needs .

Cost Effectiveness and Maintenance

Contrary to popular belief, these pools have a very similar installation cost to a traditional swimming pool. More than this though, they actually serve to save you money in the long-term maintenance of them. Traditional swimming pools require regular Ph checks and chlorine addition to keep them clean and safe to use. Natural pools let nature do the hard work for you and their maintenance costs (in both time and monetary terms) are substantially lower than their traditional counterparts.

Sustainability

Natural pools increase biodiversity, use less energy and eliminate the need for use of chemicals. Don’t worry though, you won’t be swimming among weeds or tadpoles, all the plant and associated animal life tends to stay in the separate section of the pool designed for plants and they filter the water from there.

Our design team are busy working on several current projects incorporating natural pools, all at various stages of design and build. They are not only a joy to design but have the potential to positively impact wellbeing through not only the health benefits of exercise but also the associated wellbeing benefits of being immersed (in this case literally) in nature.

For more information on designing a natural pool, get in touch or do feel free to follow the progress of our natural pool projects as they come to life.