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grand designs pond house in chichester with natural swimming pool

How to build a natural swimming pond

Enjoy crystal-clear, chemical-free water that's great for wellbeing and wildlife

By Emily Brooks | 5 April 2022

Natural swimming ponds are not only a beautiful place to take a dip, right in your own back yard, they also encourage wildlife into the garden. Ponds can even cool your home. Plus, a daily dip is great for your wellbeing.

The idea behind natural swimming ponds is to create a beautiful, crystal-clear swimming environment without chemicals. To prevent algae growing and creating murky waters, it’s imperative to reduce the nutrients in the water. Rather than pumping water through shingle, which acts as a filter, a true natural swimming pond uses a delicate balance of plants to absorb nutrients, micro-organisms and pathogens.

natural swimming pond

Dan and Nina Rowland’s Chichester home with natural swimming pond. Photo: James French

Dan & Nina’s natural swimming pond

Being able to dive straight off the deck outside the kitchen into crystal-clear waters is surely a highlight of Dan and Nina Rowland’s Grand Designs home in Chichester. The couple started off with an existing pond, which had been dug more than a century ago to drain the surrounding land, but a natural swimming pond can be created from scratch, too.

The first step for Dan and Nina was, of course, excavation. Some 1.5m of sludge was removed from the bottom, which amounted to around 500 tonnes, and allowed to dry so it could be used to landscape the garden. Further excavation created the swimming pond, while a shallower pond, separate from the main body of water, continues to act as a natural drain.

Natural swimming ponds are not only a beautiful place to take a dip, right in your own back yard, they also encourage wildlife into the garden. Ponds can even cool your home. Plus, a daily dip is great for your wellbeing.

The idea behind natural swimming ponds is to create a beautiful, crystal-clear swimming environment without chemicals. To prevent algae growing and creating murky waters, it’s imperative to reduce the nutrients in the water. Rather than pumping water through shingle, which acts as a filter, a true natural swimming pond uses a delicate balance of plants to absorb nutrients, micro-organisms and pathogens.

natural swimming pond

Dan and Nina Rowland’s Chichester home with natural swimming pond. Photo: James French

Dan & Nina’s natural swimming pond

Being able to dive straight off the deck outside the kitchen into crystal-clear waters is surely a highlight of Dan and Nina Rowland’s Grand Designs home in Chichester. The couple started off with an existing pond, which had been dug more than a century ago to drain the surrounding land, but a natural swimming pond can be created from scratch, too.

The first step for Dan and Nina was, of course, excavation. Some 1.5m of sludge was removed from the bottom, which amounted to around 500 tonnes, and allowed to dry so it could be used to landscape the garden. Further excavation created the swimming pond, while a shallower pond, separate from the main body of water, continues to act as a natural drain.

Image: A natural swimming pond requires a careful balance of plants to keep the water crystal clear. Photo: Dan Rowland

The regeneration zone

‘The swimming pond has two parts separated by an underwater wall – a swimming zone and a regeneration zone with areas of gravel and clay,’ explains Dan. ‘Water filters through the gravel and is pumped through a network of pipes to prevent stagnation. Plants growing in the clay feed off nutrients in the water, preventing algal bloom and keeping the water crystal clear.’

The plants extract the nitrogen and phosphorous that would otherwise allow algae to thrive, purifying the water naturally. About half of the pool needs to be planted in order to retain a balanced ecosystem and keep the water clear.

plants in a natural swimming pond

The natural swimming pond is shallower near the house for safety. Photo: James French

Water circulation

A pump is needed to keep the water circulating (Dan and Nina’s is powered by solar energy), but that’s it in terms of intervention – there are no chemicals, so it’s better for the planet and there are tremendous benefits to wildlife. ‘It’s in total contrast to a chlorinated pool,’ continues Dan. ‘The dog can drink from it, the frogs and newts can swim in it – we’ve even had deer come down to the pool.’

Safety first

Mindful of living beside water with young children, Dan and Nina made sure their two children, Isla and Lexi, can swim and have set them strict safety rules. ‘We are always very conscious of the dangers,’ says Dan. Outside the kitchen, the pond has an underwater ledge where the water is 65cm deep – no more than the girls’ chest height. Always lit at night, the entire pond is in clear view of all the main rooms on the ground floor.

Grand Designs swimming pond house in Chichester with white timber cladding

Dan dives into his natural swimming pond from the terrace. Photo: James French

Natural swimming ponds vs pools

There is a difference between a ‘natural swimming pond’ of the type that Dan and Nina have, and a ‘natural swimming pool’. The latter uses biological filtration technology, doing away with the need for the plants, and tends to have the rectilinear look of a conventional pool. Having a regular shape has another implication – because they can be covered, they can also be heated.

After building their Grand Designs home, Dan and Nina Rowland went on to found Studio Fuse, a niche practice integrating the disciplines of architecture, interiors and nature.

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