Reader project: The Bellevue Rings

For this project, which won the Freeform or Natural Concrete Pools category at the Master Builders NSW Excellence Awards, Tectonic Pools was given free rein — with some caveats.

The client had a few rough ideas: he wanted it to be circular, with a pebble finish and in keeping with the house. Aside from that, he relied on the builder, Zac Dejanovic, to design and construct the pool.

Dejanovic had to overcome several obstacles: incorporating an existing large palm tree; constructing the pool around the property’s natural changing contour and sloping land; and positioning the pool to suit the symmetry of the house. The palm was well established when the client purchased the property and he had always envisaged it as being integral to the pool design, but he wasn’t quite sure how to execute this. Dejanovic suggested creating an island with the palm at the centre — an idea the client loved.

Sloping ground was another obstacle. In order to work with, rather than against, the sloping block, Dejanovic designed a cascading pool, with the palm tree positioned at the top of the first pool. This smaller pool spills over into a larger pool, which in turn spills over into a ballast tank, which continues the cascading look, creating a negative edge effect.

To create a truly unique pool, Dejanovic decided to construct different water spillways on each pool. He created the first (on the upper pool) to be a uniform water curtain by adding an extra pump to ensure enough flow over the 10 m-long edge, guaranteeing an unbroken curtain effect. The second spillway at the ballast tank was broken by installing tiles on the wall, with the tiles protruding randomly and indented by 3 to 5 mm and scattered along the wall to give a multiwaterfall effect.

Illuminating the pool was vital for the aesthetic of the overall design and finish. Dejanovic says the lighting is one of the highlights of the finished product, adding continuous visual flow throughout the cascading pools.

The overall combination of unique design, absolute symmetry of positioning of the house and palm and attention to detail has resulted in a happy and satisfied client who is proud to show off his one-of-a-kind pool.

 

Recently completed a noteworthy project? We’d love to hear about it! Email us at ps@wfmedia.com.au.

All images used with permission from Tectonic Pools.