commercial feature
The making of a great commercial pool
T
he 2020 award season brought some excellent commercial projects to the fore, and in this article we’re going to highlight a few of them. These include the National Gold Commercial Project of the Year by Horizon Pools (Victoria), the Fibreglass Commercial Pool up to $250,000 by Aqua Technics Commercial (WA), the Commercial Pool over $250,000 by Freedom Pools (NSW) and the New Zealand Commercial Project of the Year by Alfresco Pools (NZ).
National Gold Commercial Project of the Year
Allan and Alla Wolf-Tasker’s Lakehouse in Daylesford has been one of Australia’s most highly-regarded culinary destinations for three decades. In 2018 it was voted Australian Gourmet Hotel Guide’s Regional Hotel of the Year, The Gold List’s Best Food & Wine Property and was inducted into The Wine List’s Hall of Fame. When Horizon Pools was selected to craft the resort’s newest attraction – an elevated lake-side pool with a 17-metre infinity edge and a seamless panoramic lakeview – it was clear they had serious expectations to meet. “The Wolf-Taskers see the Lakehouse as an ever-evolving work in progress; designed to delight guests with the highest quality and most innovative accommodation,” says Horizon Pools managing director Daniel Cutugno. “It’s no understatement to say that we were delighted to be selected,” he says. The client’s brief was for a commercial-quality pool integrated into the bushland on a lakeside slope. Key to the success of the project was the 17-metre wall underpinning the infinity edge on the lakeside slope. Engineered along the longest edge of the triangulated pool, this wall is set at exactly the right elevation to provide swimmers and poolside loungers the perfect panoramic view. 60 SPLASH! February/March 2021
The panorama is enhanced by a seamless visual integration from pool to lake. The natural-toned deephued materials including rare Cosmic Black pebblemix helped make the pool water highly reflective. The eucalypt-grey tiles and timber decking help meet the brief of perfect integration with the landscape.
A slippery site
“Often damp and always slippery, the elevated site provided perhaps our greatest challenge,” says Cutugno. “Our first priorities were to eliminate workplace dangers and enhance time efficiencies in the face of an extremely tight schedule. Elevated approximately 15 metres above the lake, the site’s accessibility was further debilitated by the season, as we weathered with the first heavy dews and early rain of Autumn.” Dictated by the demands of a heavily booked hospitality business, the pool was constructed to a rigid schedule designed to minimise down-time for the
TOP: The panorama is enhanced by a seamless visual integration from pool to lake. Horizon Pools ABOVE: At night the pool shines bright. Horizon Pools