Coppercoins

Our client came to us with the ambitious intention of transforming a steep hillside garden into a visionary cantilevered pool terrace and have the feeling of swimming in the tree canopy.

The house is located in the Village de Putron in Guernsey and boasts panoramic views of the Little Russell and islands beyond. Due to the location, access was difficult. Excavation was done without heavy machinery, and most of the materials had to be hand carried down a steep footpath. The position of the pool was carefully considered to allow safe access and also provide the panoramic views required.

We worked closely with the structural engineers to design a pool structure that was appropriate to the sloping landscape, but also be cost effective. An innovative hybrid trench and backfill foundation was designed to use the majority of the excavated materials on site, while providing a sound base for the specialist pool contractor to set up shuttered and blown concrete for the pool shell. A steel frame wraps around the concrete structure to provide the base for the composite decking. Frameless glazing runs around the perimeter of the pool with no visible fixings, allowing uninterrupted views. The pool is heated by an air source heat pump and covered with a high specification solar cover to keep heat loss to a minimum. The pool is accessed via a cast ramp and includes stainless steel safety handrails around the internal perimeter. We worked closely with the pool specialist to design a slight change in level of the deck allows pool skimmers to be installed while keeping the freeboard depth a minimum. This also provides the minimum clearance for the retractable cover which can be remotely controlled.