Residential Complex Pool

A communal swimming pool in front of a residential block: an overflow pool, a generous timber deck and an illuminated water feature running the length of the pool.

A communal pool is not a villa pool

A communal pool holds many people at once and its water level moves constantly. The shell was therefore built as an overflow type: surface water is taken off through the channel into a balance tank and from there to the filters. A conventional skimmer solution cannot keep the surface clean at this occupancy. A separate plant space for the balance tank and filter set was left under the deck.

Timber deck and the building's cantilever

The pool surround was laid in timber decking — warmer than stone underfoot and less slippery when wet. The deck was carried under the cantilever of the block to form a shaded seating and dining area. The underside of the timber was left ventilated so water drains freely beneath the joists; an enclosed deck void rots timber from below within a few seasons.

Evening use

• Colour-changing recessed lighting in the water feature alongside the pool
• Underwater lighting, so the water surface still reads at night
• Uplighting on the block elevation and low-level path fittings in the garden
• All circuits on the common-area board with timed control

Outcome

A communal pool proves itself not in its first summer but in its third: water clarity, the state of the timber, and how easy it is to maintain. All three were addressed at design stage. See our spa, pool and wellness construction page or request a quotation for your project.