Pools as an intrinsic part of the architecture project

29 Jun Pools as an intrinsic part of the architecture project

Architecture is an arts, which like others, arouse emotions. It invites to perceive different sensations when being in contact with different environments in different spaces.

There are different factors that define emotional architecture: color, lighting and the use of water as a fundamental element.
Likewise, the works conceived under this trend are characterized by sharpening people’s senses in different ways. Water, in architecture, evokes reflection, calm and well-being.
The element has influenced design for centuries through its dynamic and fluid nature. Water is a source of inspiration for architecture.
Pools are one of the status symbols in residences and a guarantee of the influx of tourists for hotels, which is why architects dedicate part of their projects to making true “works of art” in the form of a pool.
Today we bring you the pools where any architect would immerse:

Mies van der Rohe Pavilion
The German Pavilion in Barcelona was designed by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and Lilly Reich as the German pavilion for the Barcelona International Exposition that was held in Montjuïc.
It is a symbolic work of the Modern Movement, it has been exhaustively studied and interpreted while inspiring the work of several generations of architects.
We highlight the free play of exempt planes, the fluidity of the spaces, and the visual continuity and richness obtained thanks to the transparency of the large glass panels and the reflections of the different surfaces (polished marble, glass and sheets of water), with which that it was intended to transmit the idea of ​​freedom and progress of the new German republic.
The originality of Mies van der Rohe in the use of materials does not lie in their novelty but in the ideal of modernity that they expressed through the rigor of their geometry, the precision of their pieces and the clarity of their assembly. .
This project is not about a pool itself, but it is a reference to take into account when designing a pool.

Leça da Palmeira, Alvaro Siza
Architecturally speaking, we would highlight the integration in a natural space, the use of sea water and as the main idea that this architect has always used in his projects the background material -white color- that reflects the blue of the sky and gives it the same color as the sea.
The swimming pool das Marés is one of the first works that Alvaro Siza carries out as an independent architect.
The Atlantic Ocean can often be rough and hostile, and can become a danger for bathers, especially for the little ones. It is for this reason that the Municipal Chamber of Matochinhos commissioned these saltwater pools facing the sea, so that bathers could enjoy their thing in a safe and controlled environment, especially on days when the sea is more moved and strong currents and big waves make it almost impossible to get close to the water.
The materials used play a very important role in the project, making its colors and textures, like those of nature, constantly changing according to the seasons, tides, weather, etc.
All in direct contact with the sea on a rocky massif, without modifying the terrain, generated the pools with the least possible intervention. Built between 1961 and 1966, the Piscina des mares quickly became one of the main architectural points of interest in Porto.

Hanging pools “Ubud Haging Gardens Hotel”
The hanging pools of the “Ubud Hanging Gardens Hotel” in Bali are characterized by being large pools of different levels and infinity edge, with curves that copy the shape and beauty of the nearby hills. Guests can swim on the shore and enjoy views of the ancient Pura Penataran Dalem Segara Temple, located on the opposite slope.
Each of its 38 luxury villas with private pools blends seamlessly into this landscaped setting.

Hemeroscopium House Antón García Abril
A 50 meter pool in a design house, this is Hemeroscopium.
It is one of the most significant works of the architect Antón García-Abril, from Ensamble Studio. Located in Las Rozas, in Madrid, inside a single-family house that would be the dream of any swimmer.
The long air-beam pool on the first floor is one of the most photographed images of this house and seen from below it seems that it is going to rush into the garden, as if it were a giant rain gutter, causing some vertigo for the observer.
He himself defines it as simple and complicated: seven large concrete beams were stacked and ordered, arranged in a helical direction with increasingly lighter pieces, until they were closed, at the top, with a twenty-ton granite stone that crowns the system and balances it.

Gilardi House

It is a classic of architecture.
Luis Barragán, was a precursor of what is called emotional architecture. He made use of water, walls, vegetation, patios, light and color to create sensations and thus feed the spirit.
Concepts such as serenity, silence, intimacy and wonder prevail in his projects.
The pool-living-dining room is the central space of Casa Gilardi: a magical area where life is interrupted in a quiet passage between solid and liquid, the living-dining room is installed on the edge of the pool water, and the red wall sinks into it and vibrates with the geometries produced by the changing overhead light that is transforming the space throughout the day. It has its back wall in blue contrasting with the red of the column, and is bathed in the light of an opening in the ceiling, representing the search for the sky in this space.
The set, completed in 1969, makes exceptional use of water, geometry in different planes and color, three elements / concepts that are very recurring throughout Barragán’s career.

The Wall House in Portugal by Guedes Cruz

This pool is a project within an impressive luxury home near Lisbon, on the outskirts of Cascais, Portugal by the Portuguese studio of Guedes Cruz Arquitectos.
The house has two outdoor pools, one at ground level and the other above, crossed perpendicularly and creating a very spectacular intermediate space.
The upper pool literally runs through the patio of the house, and its glass bottom generates a surprising visual effect for those below, and also for those who are swimming in the pool.
A contemporary sculpture that, along with the rest of the town, does not compete with nature, but blends in with the beauty of its surroundings, on the edge of the Oitavos Dunes golf course, with natural sand dunes and pine trees in the National Park from Cascais.