Perfectly Planned Pools and Spas
by Marla J. Ottenstein

   Designing living spaces for the outdoors is no longer just about pools. “While the prevailing trend is to create an aesthetically pleasing pool environment as an extension of the home’s indoor living space, the functionality of the space, for exercise purposes, is secondary,” says Jim Ryan, owner of Aquatic Architechs, Inc. in Naples and Fort Myers.
    The hottest trend is to use natural resources, such as mined rocks, as finishing materials in pool projects. Setting the tone for the indoors to outdoors transition, the selection of decking materials is an essential partof creating an outdoor setting that is truly an extension of the home.
    Decking options are more diverse than ever, including: interlocking pavers in a variety of patterns and colors, “flat” pre-cast keystone tiling, stamped concrete decking or natural flagstone and tumbled marble. Another emerging trend is acid and dye concrete staining to enhance the natural nuances of cured concrete surfaces.
    The designers at Aquatic Architechs, Inc. believe that the key to creating the ultimate pool environment is in the process “It’s up to the designer to effectively listen to the client and to feed into what they want,” says Ryan. “It’s the pool designer’s responsibility to make suggestions that will enhance the experience and take the client’s vision to the next level.”
    In addition to the central design issues – layout, decking, elevations, water features, integrated planting and lighting, planning space for outdoor entertaining and furniture placement, cabana placement, outdoor kitchens, fireplaces, screen enclosures, exterior landscaping and irrigation – a professional pool designer needs to evaluate the physical size and location of the area and the natural surroundings. The ultimate goal is an effective space allocation that will maximize the client’s needs and desires.
    When designing a tropical paradise, there are a plethora of decisions to make. The careful selection of material finishes literally adds the finishing touch to any outdoor pool environment. Each facet should be carefully planned, both separately, as well as an integrated and essential element of the overall design concept.
    Pool designers and savvy homeowners are driving the trends in pool interior finishing. While standard quartz and pebble aggregate finishes are still prevalent, luxury pool design demands upgraded materials to set the tone. PEBBLE TEC® brand pool finishes offer sophisticated mixtures of tiny stones and dyes in various, random color ratios that can produce a natural, lagoon-like effect, similar to the ebb tides in a grotto PEBBLE SHEEN® brand pool finishes can produce a natural, beautiful pool interior more formal and geometric in appeal.
    Interior finishes with inlaid glass mosaic tile designs turn the ordinary into the extraordinary. Taking it up a notch and facing the entire pool with glass mosaic tiles creates an exquisite and durable finish, especially when lit with a multitude of tiny fiber-optic lights to transform the pool into a shimmering oasis at night.
    Water-line tile selection is an important element in linear architectural pool design. The choices are endless. Individualizing pools with naturally hued tumbled marble, relief tiles, flagstone and decorative fire-kilned tiles is a favorite pool enhancer.
    “When it comes to selecting coping materials, consumers are thinking outside the box,” says Ryan. Pool coping options go beyond the generic bull-nose brick or 2 by 6 tiles of the past and are leaning towards ornate pre-cast keystone and natural stone, tumbled marble, lava stone, flagstone and other mined rocks to add interest. With modern technology, almost all types of mined rocks can be milled to create a bull-nose radius to add interest to any pool edge.
    And don’t forget the actual pool shape! Depending upon the client’s needs and end-use goals, it’s a question of linear versus organic, or architectural design versus a more natural lagoon-type design. The designers at Aquatic Architechs, Inc. personally “scratch-design” each and every project for their clients to ensure that every pool is individual.
    “People want their backyard dreams to look put together and well-planned,” says Ryan. “The more experience, knowledge and construction know-how a pool contractor has, the higher the consumer’s expectations.” Bottom line: There is no substitute for experience, and Ryan and his team, have been building pools since 1988.
    Vanishing-edge pools will always be a popular option when installed in the right situation. An experienced pool designer knows how to take advantage of the topography of the lot to achieve the effect of the pool water vanishing into the body of water visible beyond the pool itself.
    “Seventy-five percent of our installations are pool/spa combinations with an additional water feature element,” says Ryan. “No matter how complex or basic the project, people want an added water feature that will inspire the senses with the sound and vision of running water.”
    “We design a lot of sheer-descent structures, where a sheet of water arcs out of an elevated wall, but not the spa spillway, by way of a slit between the water line tile and coping, thus creating the effect of a sheet of water.”
    Integrated pool and spa combinations are popular because the spa can be isolated from the pool when the goal is to only heat the spa. Pool/spa automation systems that control the heat, timer, spa isolation, lighting and more, are a versatile and indispensable way to operate the pool/spa system.
    Speaking of heating systems, while electric heat pumps are efficient and economical to operate, more and more people are turning to gas heaters as a more rapid heat recovery system. Solar energy – although environmentally correct – is a good heat source for pools but not for pool/spa configurations and is only warranted to heat the pool 15 degrees above the Gulf ’s temperature.
    In the realm of pool/spa combinations, one popular and practical trend stands out amongst the rest and that is the need for an in-floor cleaning and circulation return system. These systems eliminate the need for pool vacuuming systems, increase the heat source efficiency rate, increase the overall effectiveness of pool cleaning chemicals and, most importantly, because of the way the floor returns are situated and operate, they clean the flooring surface more efficiently with less deterioration to the interior finish.
    The list of structural options available to individualize the pool area are infinite; whatever the client’s whimsy or desire, a professional pool designer will find a way to make it happen. Sun shelves are the current craze, as well as elevated walls and integrated planters, benches in varying lengths and heights, strategically placed water therapy jets and built-in fountains, and other water features that create visual and audible enhancements as a part of creating a memorable setting and experience.
    Landscaping and irrigating the pool area, as well as the perimeter areas, is an extremely vital component to the overall design plan. Planning for low-maintenance indigenous plants and shrubs that naturally thrive in the tropical climate and enhance the atmosphere of the setting is as important as the pool itself when creating your Southwest Florida enclave.
    Lighting is definitely the icing on the cake. Anything goes from dedicated landscape lighting, spotlighting and accentuating perimeter or interior landscaping, to colorful spectrum pool lighting systems and fiber optics pool lighting – professionally planned lighting is what ties it all together.
    The jury’s out on how to effectively and aesthetically enclose these enhanced pool environments, but designers and homeowners alike are taking a more serious look at alternative ways to enclose pool areas, especially when the ultimate goal is a natural setting.
    “Creating the perfect outdoor environment requires careful planning throughout each phase, as well as reevaluating and revisiting the client’s end-use goals several times throughout the process,” says Ryan. “Effective design planning, final review and the proper execution and construction will always result in a satisfied customer.”

Courtesy of Aquatic Architechs, Inc.
1910 J & C Boulevard, Naples
239 594-2240
www.aquaticarchitechs.com