1801 - Swim then rest

Architecture and Art

In the Pla de Mallorca we find a country house for which a swimming pool is built. Its shape is tightly related to two factors: the terrain’s condition and its future use.

The house is located on the upper edge of a long and sloped plot, slightly descending from northeast to southeast. Therefore, the swimming pool is placed in a privileged spot between the house and the views.

The panoramic visual on the property is enhanced with an L-shaped footprint. Pointing at the views like two perpendicular vectors, the swimming pool blends with the horizon as the water flows towards it.

In contrast with the grandiosity of the framed views, the construction itself is vaguely noticed by its close environment thanks to its colors and materials. This way, the center stage is always reserved to the landscape.

It is common around there to come across these little stone walls that contain the difference in level the terrain does. They are called “marges”. Just like another “marge”, the swimming pool acts as a contention wall while the stone covers it like a skin.

Meanwhile, the green color of its interior mimics the surrounding vegetation and, seen from the air, the swimming pool shows itself like an old water tank typically used to water the almond tree plains.

This is two swimming pools in one, but not only for the double orientation of the views. This house is used by its owners to escape the rushing rhythm of the city and they achieve that by resting but also with physical exercise. The combination between sport and relaxation materializes in the duality of the shape.

A dynamic swimming pool, a static one. One for swimming, another one for sitting and contemplating. Like the swimmers that enjoy it, the swimming pool also has two arms.

In accordance with the terrain’s nature, one of the directions is longer. The one parallel two the terrain curves. Throughout the stretch of this arm you can find the deepest part, allowing it to be used as a swimming channel.

Instead, the sorter arm, on the opposite direction, is split into different planes that descend and take the user downwards progressively from the access level all the way to the lowest point, letting you stop at each point and experience the different depths.

The surfaces touched by the water reveal themselves as a simple sculpture. Planes fold themselves coinciding with the stones that contain them. The joints, the veins and the different shades of green give a strong expressive character to the sculpture, compared to the sobriety and discretion of the stone wall of the “marges”.