Full feature article · Swimming Pools
Natural Swimming Lagoon and Pond Pool Design Ideas and Photos
Chemical free swimming with planted filtration zones, boulder edges, sand beaches and water that looks like it belongs in the landscape.
A natural swimming pool replaces chlorine with biology. Alongside the swimming zone sits a regeneration zone — a shallow planted gravel bed where water is circulated slowly, nutrients are consumed by plants and bacteria, and clarity is maintained without chemicals. The two zones are separated below the waterline so swimmers stay in open water while the planting does the cleaning. Done properly the water is soft, odourless and safe for anyone with sensitive skin.
Sizing is the rule that cannot be broken. The regeneration zone typically needs to be roughly the same area as the swimming zone, which is why these pools suit larger gardens or sites where a section of the garden can become the planted edge of a lagoon. Skimping on the filtration area is the most common cause of green water, and no amount of pump capacity compensates for it.
The look is what draws people in. Irregular boulder edges, gravel or sand entries, timber jetties and decks that cantilever slightly over the water, and planting that runs right to the waterline — reeds, iris, water lilies and marginals — so the pool reads as a spring fed pond rather than a swimming pool. A black or dark grey liner or interior deepens reflection and hides the transition between construction and landscape.
Living with one is different rather than harder. Water temperature follows the season, the planting changes through the year, and there is seasonal maintenance — cutting back marginals, clearing leaf litter, checking the circulation. In exchange you get wildlife, no chemical smell, low running costs and a body of water that looks beautiful in winter when a conventional pool sits under a cover. For garden lovers it is often the most rewarding water they ever build.
