Best In Class: Take the plunge

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This award-winning property overlooks Bantry Bay outside Cape Town in South Africa. Designed by Saota Architects with interiors by Studio Parkington Design Consult, it is set below Lions Head with views of Robben Island to the north and Camps Bay and the Twelve Apostles to the south. It recently won the firm an Architizer Award and sold for a record sum of 290million rand, about €17.12million. Photograph: Adam Letch. Saota.com; Studioparkington.com. Moon Chairs – Tokujin Yoshioka

Architects and husband and wife Jose Tavel and Cara Cummins run Atlanta-based TaC Studios, and they installed a lap pool at their studio residence. “It is amazing how many office planning sessions we have had in the pool,” Tavel says. The pair installed solar heaters to extend their swim season, an idea he says would work well in Ireland. The inspiring idea has been saved to over 180,000 idea books on the home site Houzz. Photograph: Michael Tavel.Tacstudios.com

This Miami water garden looks onto Biscayne Bay and was designed by Margie Ruddick to include plants and attract wildlife so its owners could indulge in wild swimming literally in their backyard. The pool is set about 18 inches above the water garden level to give the illusion of being immersed in it and features in the recently published book, Wild By Design, by the landscape designer. margieruddick.com

Tara Vincenta of American firm Artemis Landscape Architects replaced a manmade pond with a BioNova pool that uses plants to naturally filter the water. The pool uses no heaters or chemicals. The client’s dream was to replace a crumbling manmade pond with a natural swimming pool; one that didn’t use chemicals. The idea was to create an environment that would blend the classical aspects of the home with a more contemporary feel. The shallow end of the pool features a beach-style entrance. Artemisia.com

Tue Jun 28 2016 - 10:24

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