Natural pools and ponds — design and build

Designed for tropical heat

A natural pool is filtered by plants and a biological filter rather than a conventional pool system. Many natural pool designs come from cooler climates. Copied directly into Phuket's heat, they tend to struggle with algae, so we design for the tropics from the start.

• Planted zones with tropical water plants, planned around the garden you have
• A technical biofilter, which reduces the area the plants need where space is tight
• UV treatment as a back-up against algae
• Partial shade over the water, from planting, structures or the building

Circulation by day and by night

The bacteria in a biofilter need water moving through it at all times, and koi need oxygen at night. We design the circulation for both.

Power, isolation, earthing and earth-leakage protection for the pumps, aeration and back-up are connected and checked by a licensed electrician, as agreed with you.

• A daytime circuit through the biofilter, the planted zone and the skimmers, which can run on solar power
• A low-power night circuit from the mains, which also covers cloudy days and breakdowns
• Separate pipework for the daytime and night-time circuits
• Night aeration for koi ponds, with back-up power

Koi ponds and reflecting ponds

Koi ponds are deeper and hold fish, so they need strong biological filtration, UV, shaded ledges and continuous aeration. Reflecting ponds are calmer architectural basins, designed around the view, the edge and the light. Both can be finished in PebbleCrete or in a pigmented pond coating. Waterproofing without tiling needs a concrete base; we cannot waterproof a pond built on a liner.

Turnkey or with your builder, then a care contract

We design the system, the planting and the look of the pool or pond with you and your architect, and agree engineering decisions with you and your engineer — or, if you don't have one, with our partner engineer.

We can also convert a pond into a swimming pool, or a conventional chlorinated pool into a natural pool, and the reverse, as long as the base is concrete. The basin has to be drained to add the second circuit, the planted or biofilter zones and the new finish. Draining in the wet season or where groundwater is high needs assessment.

• Turnkey: we design, build and finish, then start the biological filtration
• With your builder: your team casts the shell, and we lay the pipework, install the system and start the biological filtration
• Care contract: biofilter cleaning, plant care and regular checks after handover

What to send for a first discussion

Send us these details so we can look at your site and talk through a design.

• Photos or drawings of the garden, or of the pool or pond you want to convert
• The location and the approximate size of the swimming zone or pond
• Whether you want a natural pool, a koi pond or a reflecting pond
• Whether you would like a turnkey build or a design carried out with your builder