back to nature… eco spa design
One of our current projects is a hospitality client who have commissioned us to design and develop a spa and wellness scheme within a woodland and countryside setting. The clients deign brief to SPA Creators has been to include/consider a way of bring their spa and wellness offering inline with their philosophy of being ‘at one with nature’ embracing their location in the Leicestershire countryside.
This has been a great opportunity for looking at alternatives to more traditional approaches to spa design for spas and pools and thinking out of the norm allowing our team to stretch the boundaries and conventions.
As a keen open water swimmer Alistair [Director] was excited to see where this would lead. The team at SPA Creators have been investigating natural swimming pools commonly known as swimming ponds. These are more common in Germany and in Europe. There are a number of companies in the UK now building pools that use the same standards as Germany to create swimming ponds, reflecting an emerging UK trend for open water swimming. Natural pools or ponds can be used in both commercial and residential applications with some thought into design and bathing numbers. SPA Creators are working with leading natural pool builders to see how these partnerships can help promote this innovative concept.
So how is a natural swimming pool achieved?
In natural water, the main filter is the whole body of water, as each part of water is constantly being filtered by microscopic life-forms. This is how ponds live. What this means is the body of water is naturally filtering with no chemicals involved.
In a natural swimming pool the water is filtered through shingle and other mediums using small pumps. Plants also perform a useful function taking nutrients out of the water as they grow. By keeping the levels of key nutrients low and in balance, algae is not able to grow or is very minimal, and the result is clear, clean and healthy swimming water. Having recently taken a dip in a natural swimming pool Alistair commented ‘I was amazed at how clean the water was and how soft it felt on the skin, taking a plunge you could see under water without the irritation of any chemicals. It was fantastic experience’.
Alistair goes on to say ‘ Natural Swimming pools are great for users of the pool, but more importantly for the environment, when I was swimming at the natural pool there were a host of insects and birds ‘swallows swooping down to drink the water’ it was great to be at one with nature.’
If you would like to explore this option in your spa and wellness development let us help you call 0118 9471857
or
email [email protected]
