Water: architecture’s calmest material
A landscape architect’s notes on natural swimming ponds, rainwater harvesting and the stillness water brings to a place.
Water changes how a place sounds and how it is lit. The surface of a still pond brings the sky down to the ground; running water masks the noise of the city.
A chemical-free pond
The 140-square-metre swimming pond at Organic Villa is cleaned by a reed bed instead of chlorine. Plants filter the water and the pond becomes a habitat.
Rainwater
Planted roofs hold the rain and release it slowly. The collected water irrigates the garden, halving mains water use.
