Balancing Act

Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, one of the most important architects of the 20th century, created a style defined by extreme clarity and simplicity and was known for his use of the aphorism “less is more.”

This is what beautiful pool design is moving toward. This is why this concrete pool and spa by Verdant Custom Outdoors is an AQUA Choice Award winner. This poolscape doesn’t flaunt every feature modern pools can be outfitted with, but instead brings together the ideal balance of colors, textures and technology, proving that great watershapes reflect van der Rohe’s aesthetic: less really is more.

“The home, done by local architect Tim Golba of Golba Architecture, is a contemporary interpretation of an Italian villa,” says Kate Wiseman, principal designer for the La Jolla, Calif., design/build pool and landscape construction firm. “It’s built from split-face concrete block, exotic hardwoods and large glass panels. In designing the pool and spa, preserving the architect’s original concept was critical. To do this, we wanted to use very clean lines, and we also wanted to mirror the grace and elegance the house had achieved.”

Centered off the home’s interior courtyard with a long, straight vanishing edge that takes in the view of San Diego Bay and the city’s downtown skyline, this pool has a dark Hydrazzo finish by Aquavations, which allows for reflections and thereby adds to the serenity of the space.

“Unlike many vanishing-edge pools, the coping on this pool does not return at the ends of the vanishing edge,” says Wiseman. “This was critical for the clean look we wanted to achieve, but was technically very challenging. To prevent water from spilling out of the boundaries of the lower trough, the water tumbles over a rustic rock water wall. The shotcrete structure was tilted inward and the stones were carefully laid to guide the tumbling water back toward the center of the trough.”

The perimeter-overflow spa, which is completely veneered on the interior and exterior in glass tile by Lunada Bay, not only references the form of traditional millstone fountains throughout Europe, it also echoes the shape of the overhang above it, though in reverse. “To achieve the desired effect on the spa, which was to create a gentle trickle of drops off the 2-inch sidewall projection, yet maintain a glass-like mirrored top, meant we had to level the overflow edge to within a 1/32- inch tolerance,” says Wiseman.

“Using a rustic glass tile that had natural pitting and variation on the surface added another level of difficulty. To achieve a perfectly level overflow line, we had to painstakingly hand lay every tile, in some cases many times,” adds Wiseman. “In most applications, the water flow could have been increased to reach the mirror-top effect. However, increasing the flow would have had a negative impact on the line of drops falling softly from the spa’s sidewall projection, which needed the lowest flow possible. The right balance between these two elements required the highest level of craftsmanship. The Pentair variable-speed pumps we used allowed us to calibrate the water flow perfectly to achieve this tricky water-in-transit application.”

All of the plantings are drought tolerant, but were carefully chosen for a profusion of flowers. “We used a large variety of plants that are not very common including marmalade bush, yellow oleander, variegated dianella and a variety of Grevillea called Wakiti Sunrise,” says Wiseman. “These are paired with more-common but reliable bloomers such as Penstemon, sages and Echium. In order to emphasize the Italian theme of the home and create a greater definition between the home and the public right of way, we installed five 60-year-old field-grown olive trees.”