Privileged Life Pools

16 “The manifestation of water in architecture in different ways is a projection of the feelings and ideas of designers.” The designer shapes the water element with the atmosphere they wants to create. The designer also benefits from the element of water when evaluating effects such as “centrality, formatting, orientation, inviting, adaptive, separating, standing, accelerating, dramatic” in context. We talk about the increasing effects of threats such as global warming, climate change, drought. Therefore, sustainability is an important agenda item and has an important place in your design vision. What do you pay attention to in a pool design in line with this vision? Biophilia is the love for life and living systems. At a time when biophilia is very important in architecture, natural pools are becoming another element that can increase the connection with nature and at the same time create a space for both entertainment and thought. They are also known as ecological or biological pools. They reproduce an ecosystem of plants, rocks, and even some species of fish. The term “natural” relates to the type of treatment the pool water receives, which in these cases is chemical-free. In this sense, its functioning is very similar to a natural lake, since each component has a function in the system: stones and sand hold impurities, plants promote the oxygenation of water, and fish help to destroy larvae and vermin for the purification of water. Basically, the natural pool cleans itself and eliminates the need for natural substances and chemicals, creating a self-sufficient, economical and sustainable maintenance cycle. “Thanks to Serapool, we had the chance to highlight the infinity cycle of a fluid pool” How did your cooperation with Serapool begin? As an architect, what were the elements that attracted your attention the most about the Serapool vision? We have an architectural approach that believes that the material is the main element of the space. For this reason, the use of materials in design is one of the most important issues for us. I think that the form and material should walk side by side in the design. Reflection in the material is an element that controls all colors in the space. The reflection of the sky and the effect of whether the weather is sunny or cloudy affect the color and texture of all materials used in the space. When this mutual harmony is not achieved, the perception of the space changes significantly. Architecture is not only the art of creating space, but also to control and harmonize the effect of all details, colors and materials on each other when they come together. Controlling the changes under light and shadow ensures the integrity and continuity of the space. At this point, Serapool offered us a wide range. The most important issue that attracts our attention in Serapool is the combination of different colors and textures that do not allow repetition. This gives you a chance to highlight the infinity loop of a fluid pool. Sensitivity to finishing details is also very important. Especially the convex profile we wanted was not available in Serapool. But, it was custom- made for us in the color, texture and cross section we wanted. Since we care a great deal about such details, Serapool has become a solution partner for us in many points. “Serapool has textures that combine different colors and do not repeat each other.” You used Serapool’s Piazza Cobalt products in the pool of a villa project in Urla, İzmir. How do you evaluate the aesthetic effect of these products in pool design? We designed an elevated infinity pool that will be located at the same level as the ground elevation of the building. It was aimed that the hard ground starting from the living area would merge with the water following the terrace, continue in the pool in three dimensions, and the hard ground would slowly disappear throughout the section and turn into water. Thus, the units of the hard ground would blend in three dimensions and exist as a line drawn with water to the pine forests opposite. In particular, Piazza Cobalt’s dimensions and breakups were very suitable for this pool. In addition, the reflection of the pool into the gallery space and its variable colors were important not only for the pool at certain times of the day, but also for its ability to transform the interior. Another important issue is to ensure the diversity in the repetition of tiles in linear pools. When you fail to achieve this, you create visual boundaries in the pool and lose the simplicity of the fluidity of the water. We chose Piazza Cobalt because it is possible to provide this variety with it.