Thinking outside the square

Designed by Erin Green, Natures Best Landscape

From the landscape designer:

Project brief

The owner’s brief was to deliver an individualistic pool and garden to complement the Rob Mills Architecture-designed home. 

As part of this the owner said: "think outside the box" – and  a massive circular pool and spa does exactly that.

The house, with its assertive sculptural form, demanded something unique to complement its theme of curves and circular aspects prominent both inside and outside of the building.

Upon setting out to form the pool, a drone was used on several occasions for aerial views to ensure precisely correct proportions and scales – so all elements are well balanced.

Bold centrepiece

The large 10m x 7.5m circular pool serves as a bold centrepiece, drawing the eye and inviting relaxation. 

Although simple in appearance it avoids competing with the architecture but rather coexists with it.

This was achieved through our choice of materials. 

The pool is visual from inside, along with bay views,  so a 23mm x 23mm blue gum wavy tile was chosen as a small tile could bend around all the curves without messy cutting while the tile colour connects with the bay colours.

In addition, using ground concrete for the pool matches the interior of the home and is a simple material choice which allows curves of hard surfaces and minimises grout lines and creates visual cohesion from inside and out. 

The 130mm concrete slab gives an architectural feel to the edge of the pool and the ability for tight radii around the spa internals. 

Expansion saw cuts were installed to minimise cracking and control movement.

Agy drains (flexible, corrugated drainage pipes)were installed to the concrete perimeter to capture water run off, as we didn’t want to install surface water drains which would have compromised the minimalist look of the ground concrete.

Challenges – and overcoming them

Challenges presented with the project included an existing underground water tank which dictated the size and position of the pool, leaving limited planting height.

In addition, established trees to the boundary line that the owner wished to keep presented pool fence compliance issues and tight access through a 1.2m gate meant a slow digging process.

To overcome these factors, a careful interpretation of pool fence regulations meant we could hide a 1.8m tall fence behind the hedge to comply – instead of in front of the hedge. 

This allowed the space to feel more open and allowed for more expansive movement, rest and play areas for a visually more appealing outcome.

Anston round circular steppers in a Bondi colour were chosen to complement the round spa and other circular elements, including the raised round planter. 

The set out of the steppers was crucial to ensure one of them could be used as the access point to the tank lid.

In terms of illuminating the surroundings, Aqualux 416 bollards were chosen for their round appearance to highlight stepping stones while eco spike lights illuminate feature trees and edges of the building.

Careful plant selection included: asparagus fern for its form, texture and architectural foliage; creeping thyme to soften steppers; and westringias & teucrium for their ability to be clipped into spheres. 

All planting were chosen for their ability to tolerate a west-facing orientation; to cope with their proximity to the salt air; and because they would complement and soften the architecture. 

Plus, it only seemed fitting to include a sculptural olive tree – selected for its foliage colour, resilience, and again its form – to complement the architecture.

For such a large pool, the spaces feel in proportion for sitting, relaxing, entertaining, or simply throwing a towel on the lawn.

Story by: Trendsideas