POOLS AND OUTDOOR DESIGN: QUESTION OF STYLE

The planning and realization of pools represents since ever an exceptional opportunity for architects to put themselves to the test with the composition of multiple elements, working for an harmonious integration between the natural components - the surrounding landscape, water, light - and the building. A challenge that allows to build pools which exalt the external environment of big hotels and other public spaces such as private luxury homes.

Nowadays, precise needs are coming up into this market: on skimmer tanks and, above all, on  complanar tanks, there is in fact a precise value that could be translated into a large visual impact, by that time essential. So the pool becomes a focus point on the whole landscape architecture it fits, creating an aesthetic awesomeness, perfectly in accordance with the style of planned design.

The achievable settings are infinite, from the water of the tank that visibly mixes with the see and the horizon, to the color effects with the green and lush natural settings, and to the complanar part that seems to throw impetuously in the landscape Not to mention the relaxation areas built around the stretch of water, sometimes banked, sometimes proper sitting rooms, an interior piece figured in the outdoor. Solutions and effects, that are the result both of a careful design and also of a careful research of avant-garde materials and finishes and they are, above all, suitable for the specific environmental contexts. In fact, the aspects to be carefully evaluated in the realization of a pool, are many and, between them, there is the positioning of the tank, the coverings and floorings.

The material's selection is another delicate operation: they are effectively subjected to heavy loads and stress due to thermal shocks, proximity of wet and dry areas, chemical agents of the cleaning products, high traffic. In these situations, a porcelain gres that combines refined aesthetic characteristics and technical values of resistance, durability and hygene represents the ideal solution. DSG ceramics MADE collection, for example, in bocciardato version is really suitable for all the uses where an antislip floor is necessary (thanks to a R11 coefficient of friction to guarantee its reliability and robustness), ensuring at the same time great opportunities of color choice thanks to its wide color's proposal.

On the other hand, a mix of practicality and fascinating aesthetic effects is what is required by the planning of this kind of structures. From a perfect dialogue between coverings, floorings, environment and creativity, various icons of originality and avant-garde could take place, sometimes they are bizarre or very particular. In Cile, for example, you can find the world's longest pool: San Alfonso del Mar exceedes one thousand meters in length and it is placed near a very beautiful beach. On the contrary, the highest pool ever built seems suspended in the air and it is placed 150 meters in height, on the roof of the three skyscrapers of the hotel Marina Bay Sands in Singapore. In the end, an amazing mimetic effect: the pool of the Ubud Hanging Gardens Hotel in Bali magically mingles with surrounding nature, offering a singular impression of suspension.

(Credits: 2. San Alfonso del Mar; 3. Reuters 4. Ubud Hanging Gardens Hotel)