So Cool: An All-Natural Swimming Pool
By Margaret Gilmour
Cooling off in this eco-pool includes communing with an occasional turtle, but don’t worry, there’s no muddy bottom or algae you’ll need to avoid––all that is alongside the swimming zone where ruin walls separate water gardens that are alive with nutrient-friendly plantings. And trust us, once you’ve seen this chemical-free swimming hole, you may never want to dive into any other.
Artist Nancy Adler wasn’t in a hurry to build a conventional pool at her weekend retreat in Chadds Ford. Like her paintings, which she describes as “realism with a twist,” she wanted a swimming pool that looked like a pond, but with crystal-clear water where she could either take a dip, or swim some laps.
“We didn’t want a swimming pond, and even if we did, we didn’t have a sandy area or a spring to feed it,” Adler says. “And we really didn’t want a pool with a bottom that turns to muck.”
Wading through algae didn’t appeal either.
So Adler began searching for natural swimming pools on the Internet, where she happened upon Biotop swimming pools, an Austrian company that started designing natural pools (also called swimming ponds) in 1986. Turns out that the pools are all over Europe, and slowly gaining presence in the U.S.
After reviewing the Biotop site, Adler knew she’d found her oasis, a living ecosystem where she and her family could cool off alongside area wildlife. “I immediately wrote to the owners,” she says.
Then, what began as an abstract notion for a natural swimming pool resulted in an environmentally-sensitive water feature combining sustainable design into an outdoor space ideal for exercising, relaxing or entertaining.
Natural swimming pools are chemical-free, self-cleaning mini environments relying on vegetation from their “regeneration zones,” or water gardens/ponds, to filter impurities and excess nutrients back into the swimming area. 
Skimmers and pumps circulate the water through the regeneration zones, and also over rocks or loose gravel that serve as additional filters where “good” bacteria can grow. And, depending upon your landscape and water feature selections, natural swimming pools cost only slightly more than standard ones.
The absence of chlorine, or any chemicals for that matter, appealed to Adler, who admits that the eco-friendly concept of the natural pool fit into her earth-conscience lifestyle. “I try to make choices based on how good they are for the environment,” she says. “And honestly, I can’t understand why you’d want any other kind of pool.”
Like fine art, Adler’s pool took time to create, the process beginning with information gathered from Biotop, and a collaboration between landscape architect Jonathan Alderson, Pond Works and a local pool company.
“The goal was to make the pool look as natural as possible,” says Alderson, who stated his own sustainable landscape company in 1998 after 11 years in the business. “We wanted it to look as if it was on the property for years–like a farm pond-turned-swimming pool.”
After consulting with Biotop, Alderson decided to use local resources for plumbing supplies to “cut out the trans-Atlantic concept” and keep costs down. Then he took the basic Biotop approach of using regeneration areas to oxygenate and clean the water, and added UV filters for additional cleaning.
The design began with Adler’s vision for her laid-back lagoon and the pool company’s installation know-how. Alderson ultimately refined all the ideas into a construction drawing. 
“The swimming area is only one-third of the whole water feature,” says Alderson. “The other two-thirds are the plant-regeneration zones.”
Even if you’re not a swimmer, the untamed beauty and lush landscaping of Adler’s pool will still appeal, especially to naturalists and gardeners. Here, flowering water lilies (Nymphaea odorata) float in glassy, sun-drenched water next to narrow-leaved cattail (Typha angustifolia) where the sound of cascading water blends with the croak of the local bullfrog.
Alderson chose native plants echoing the surrounding landscape and indigenous, dry-laid stone walls to border the pool areas. Boulders add dimension, and five “water spouts” splash into the swimming area. “We nestled the pool into the slope like it was a watershed,” says Alderson.
Among the natives blooming now are Gateway Joe Pye (Eupatorium maculatum “Gateway”), goldenrod (Solidago “Golden Fleece”) and hybrid bluestem grass (Schizachariums “The Blues”).
“Probably the most exciting part was watching the Red-winged black birds bobbing up and down on the bulrushes that had just been installed,” says Alderson. “It made me feel as if I’d done something special.”
Although Adler swam last summer after the pool’s installation, this natural swimming pond is still a work in progress. “In a lot of ways it is like putting in a pond,” she says. “It takes awhile for the dust to settle and to establish the right balance of plants and nutrient levels.”
Like most great gardens, this one will take time to flourish, but Alder says watching her plants grow is part of the benefits. Another perk is having the swimming pool double as a skating pond in the wintertime, making the space a four-season retreat when the water ices over.
In fact, these days Adler doesn’t even bother heading into Philadelphia where her husband stays through the week in their city home. Now she is planning to build a studio out back where’s the plenty of inspiration for her paintings. “I can’t leave here anymore,” she says. “I just love it.”
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Now that’s a COOL pool.
Wow, so cool! Very self-sufficient!
Very cool. Reminds me of swimming in the lakes near home.
I wonder how you keep the pond critters out of the pool…
I love this concept, as an artist this would give some incredible inspiration as well as relaxation.
Possible breeding ground for mosquitoes?
Very inspiring. The concept is wonderful and I now have a project Goal.
About the mosquito breeding ground. it would not happen in this environment as mosquito’s require stagnant water to breed. The constant circulation would eliminate most, if not all of the problem. There would be about as much breeding here as there would be in a normal pool. These are great, if I was going to get a pool a natural one it would be.
Probably not a breeding ground for mosquitoes. The water is constantly moving, there are likely lots of critters that feed on their larvae. Net result is likely more consumption than production of the little bloodsuckers.
i’d rather have an old fashioned pool…like the movie stars!!
don’t get me wrong the natural pool is beautiful, just not for me
This is really beautiful..
I’ve seen this kind of thing before, and its a really great idea!
For those that don’t believe it works and want some more technical advice you can read this..
http://greenbydesign.com/2008/09/24/the-natural-swimming-pool-lilypads-optional/
Its a similar kind of design.
I really like how the pond section of this one is built up and you get those little waterfalls tho.. Beautiful.
Very nice.
I have owned a pool service company for 20 years, I look at this pool and shutter! lol
Very cool for sure. It looks like the one Michael Phelps just had built on his property. He also has natural plants of both Sativa and Indica varieties, surrounded by cattails and tall grasses.
I would so much rather have that than a pool filled with chemicals.
Nice post.
Great article on Eco-pools! Landscape is spectacular.
It’s great to see how an idea we had at our company Biotop 25 years ago is gradually making its way around the world.
After much consideration on whether or not to introduce the Biotop system to the USA and Canada as well, this year we took the first step: we built what is probably the most beautiful and largest Biotop Natural Pool on Nantucket Island.
If all goes well we will have a partner company in the USA in 2010.
In any case we congratulate Mrs. Adler on her natural swimming pool!
by-laws for most jurisdictions would require security fencing around the pool. very not aesthetically pleasing, but keeps the children from drowning.
Other than that I want one. It is beautiful.
To the pool service company owner of 20 years who said “… I look at this pool and shutter!”:
Well, I shudder to think what a close minded person who can’t spell must feel like when he sees a new imaginative idea that is beyond him.
I really appreciate the aesthetics and concept of this pool also. The health benefits alone of a chemical-free pool make it preferable.
Our family has a traditional pool surrounded by a wooden scalloped fence. Between the fence and the pool is a border of mostly native perennials and shrubs.
In addition to making the traditional pool look softer, this design makes a great habitat for birds. They have the opportunity to perch on the fence to rest, observe and hunt for insects. The perennials and shrubs provide food and shelter year round.
So, fences aren’t so bad.
I visited this pool. I walked around it and dipped my finger in the water. I admired all the native plantings and the hardscaping and the colorful umbrellas. It is gorgeous. And I can promise you, the images are not photoshopped.
Having a natural pool myself you do find that there is an increase in those pesky mosquito’s. But the frogs take care of most of them. Yes you’ll have more blood suckers and yes you’ll can swim with tadpoles, so if you’re uncomfortable with fauna then you won’t wanna.
This natural pool you have created is awesome. Ecellent balance of aesthetics and practicallity. We (Bedrock Landscapers) from Cape Town are creating these pool for many interested clients. At last a fantastic alternative for chemical pools. Well done
Does this need to be drained like a conventional pool before the winter arrives? Or would you just let it freeze over and use it as a skating rink?
The owner uses the pool as a skating pond in the winter. So it’s a great all-weather pool.
In the south, this looks like a perfect place for water moccasins and cottonmouths. You can say the water moving helps with mosquitoes, but I can guarantee you that not all of the water is moving, and there will be many skeeters. It looks neat though!
As a dedicated lap swimmer, I’m also concerned about dioxins from chlorine, so this pool is a dream realized. Gorgeous…. I’m jealous!
Gorgeous, but like tc909 says… definitely a snake haven.
This is what I’ve always dreamed of for a swimming pool. One where you can sit back and enjoy nature or take a nice dip. if you’re worried about mosquitoes, just add a few fish, gambusia or mosquito fish will do wonders, native to North America and hardy. One could also try a couple koi/ goldfish or even a scoop or 2 of feeder/fathead minnows. it may even attract a heron