Architecturally integrated swimming pool

9 years ago

I love the idea of open air homes & blurring indoor & outdoor and there are some wonderful examples of homes having the swimming pool or feature pond architecturally integrated into the design, but it concerns me what effect having a large body of water close to living spaces during the most humid period of the Queensland Summer.

Is it necessary to design such pools to be on the down wind side of the house or do they have an overwhelming beneficial effect on air temperature as it passes though?

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Comments (4)

PRO
Mcmahon and Nerlich
9 years ago
Hi Chris,

This is an interesting question! I am familiar with the design principles for humid climates although I have not built in Queensland before - but your instincts are correct to question the humidifying effect of pool water on indoor air temperature if built adjacent to a home's interior in Queensland. Because humid climates benefit most from permeable walls with air-circulating; i.e lots of windows / screens allowing air to pass through the building, assisted by ceiling fans for passive cooling etc, you generally don't want to add any more humidity to the air in the direction of the prevailing wind, otherwise you will significantly lessen the cooling-effect felt indoors. You also want to prevent sunlight striking large amounts of unshaded paving directly in front of your window openings as this heats up the humid air before entering the interior, and generally speaking lightweight construction with a raised floor provides better passive cooling and ventilation effects than thermal mass on the ground.

Having said this, many homes are thermal mass on the ground anyway, and simply resort to lots of air-conditioning to keep temperatures lower whilst lowering humidity indoors!

In other words, although the general thinking would be to avoid pools in front of the interior within the line of the prevailing winds, I think it would also come down to personal choice; and if you were careful with pool placement, wind direction and opening-window location as best you can be, you would be able to architecturally integrate the pool with the house whilst trying to avoid the humidifying effects. So whilst having the pool right in front of the rear living area for maximum visual effect might not be advised, having it to the side might be quite possible. It would be important to avoid large expanses of paving, and try to have lots of greenery around the pool to improve the microclimate. Having a look at a few pool contractors websites based in Queensland, I can see many examples where the pools is built up to the building. Many offer a FAQ page where you can ask questions, so I would start with asking them for their opinion (i.e. http://precisionpoolsqld.com.au/contact-us/)

This website seems is a good resource for ideal construction principles for a warm-humid climate zone; http://precisionpoolsqld.com.au/contact-us/
Chris thanked Mcmahon and Nerlich
bigreader
9 years ago
I'm not a professional but after living in Cairns with pools, I can say they do cool the air as the breeze passes over the water. We didn't have any problems with mould but lots of the older houses (with/without pools) did.
Chris thanked bigreader
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Lisa Ormenyessy
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I would consider a natural swimming pool as the plant placement will help with what you want to achieve too.
robandlyn
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Architecturally integrated swimming pool

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Mcmahon and Nerlich

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