Pool party

Designed with the best and worst of Queensland weather in mind, this Surfers Paradise entertaining area is a year-round oasis

Designed with the best and worst of Queensland weather in mind, this Surfers Paradise entertaining area is a year-round oasis

Dealing with site restrictions is a common issue for landscape designers. In the case of this Gold Coast residential development, there was a small and unusual space to work with. Completed in 2007, the Allure, an absolute beachfront block of 13 apartments, was dubbed the “best on the beach”. Credit was due to Deb Robbins and her team at Brisbane’s Verge Urban Landscape Architecture, who had transformed the tricky outdoor space into an inviting pool and entertaining area.

Pools need fences so the issue becomes how to stop them looking like they’ve been trapped in glass pens or cages. Robbins’ design is a series of creative wing walls clad with glass mosaics, water walls and glass walls, which break the pool space up but visually extend it into the entertaining space. To one side is a gym and opposite is the stepped entrance to the main building. Despite the space restrictions, all the elements work.

Walls, in particular, create an illusion of space here. The eye is drawn to the gaps between them, which means the whole space can’t be seen at once and the framed glimpses of the area beyond make everything seem further away. Positioning the wet wall on the water’s edge gives the impression of a larger pool. Pools that are surrounded by coping, especially when the coping is narrow, appear small because the body of water is clearly defined. With this pool the water laps the feature wall and forms an undefined edge, which makes it difficult to read how far away that edge of the pool is. In addition, the slit in the feature wall forms a sheet of water that flows into the pool and disguises the many city noises beyond.

Over the outdoor kitchen and seating area is an awning, allowing the owners and their guests protection from harsh sun when they are poolside. Keeping the design of the kitchen and awning simple means these elements don’t overpower the more fluid parts of the garden, namely the pool and greenery. Natural elements of the coastal location were integrated into the design. White beach sand and the ever-changing sea have influenced the colour of the mosaics; patterns of local casuarina trees are used on the main wet wall of the pool. These colours and patterns give the very urban space an organic, natural feel and soften an otherwise hard built environment. The glass fence and mosaic tile patterns used for the common pool and entertainment areas are repeated in the private outdoor areas on the eastern face of the site. Glass fencing on the eastern boundary ensures the eye flows unimpeded across dune grasses and sand to the water. A natural white stone that runs through all these areas unifies the design.

As salt-laden southeasterlies howl through the area, the plantings needed to be super tough. Massive cycads were planted in a row to form a dramatic avenue along one wall, in front of the building’s main entrance. The wall gives some protection for the trees against the strong winds, and beneath this row a hardwood bench provides an organic contrast with the stone and water. A hardy pandanas tree was planted near the entertaining area and will eventually form a stunning natural canopy. The result is a sophisticated and yet functional space that can be utilised in the oughest – but mostly perfect – weather conditions nature can offer.

peterfudgegardens.com.au