Natural swimming in Portugal – celebrating the first fifteen years

Claudia and Udo Schwarzer are the couple who own and manage the company which planned and built the first natural swimming pond in Portugal late in 1994. They have lived and worked in Portugal since 1993 and they are based near Aljezur on the western coast of the Algarve.

After fifteen years their company has now built 150 natural swimming ponds from the north to the south of the country, including many for tourist complexes in beautiful areas.

Although a drop in the ocean compared to the approximately 40,000 conventional swimming pools in the country as a whole, this is enough to put Portugal in 5th place in the league of countries with swimming ponds.

The first swimming pond ever built in Portugal was for a house in the middle of the Nature Park of South West Alentejo & Sao Vicente Coast. It was not (and still is not) permitted to build conventional swimming pools outside designated urban areas in the park. This restriction on building conventional pools now applies to many other, environmentally sensitive, areas of the country.

Claudia is a landscape architect and Udo a biologist, they had worked together in Germany on the scientific aspects of natural water features and brought this wealth of experience to Portugal. They had already made a study of the indigenous water plants here and were convinced that the natural swimming pond would work well in the mediterranean climate. The prolonged growing season and long sunny days provide the ideal circumstances to encourage plant growth which cleans the water in a totally natural and chemical free way. Their skills complement and support each other when working on projects. They have an experienced construction company with dedicated teams for fulfilling projects in an ´all embracing´ package. 

The first swimming pond was included in a design scheme drawn up by Claudia for the landscaping of the garden and land surrounding the house and one of the most attractive features of the swimming pond is the way in which it somehow ´fits´ with the landscape around it and is attractive all year round. Attractive not only to it´s owners, but to spectacular wildlife as well. It is not uncommon to see kingfishers, swifts and swallows and many other birds sitting patiently by the water, drinking, diving and enjoying this unexpected humid place in a parched landscape. Dragonflies, bats, and amphibians of all kinds can be observed near these special places.

All swimming facilities must comply with the strict legislation in force regarding water quality and transparency, swimming ponds have no trouble meeting these requirements and they use no chemicals for cleaning the water. The careful study undertaken by Claudia and Udo of the native and other appropriate plants ensures that they can use the full range available to them and respond to the differing water sources used here in the Algarve.

During their time working with the natural swimming ponds many official barriers have had to be overcome. The careful scientific approach they adopt has helped them to convince sceptics that a natural swimming pond works here and works well.

Last year their company was nominated for the Green Projects Award for Environmental Business of the Year – an acknowledgement of their contribution to the life of Portugal – and made a presentation in SIC TV studios of one of their famous tourist projects.

The acceptance of the natural swimming pond in many parts of Europe has accelerated as people have looked around for an alternative to the conventional concrete pool. This type of swimming pond originated in the colder climates of northern Europe in countries such as Austria, Germany and Switzerland. Indeed, it was not thought that they could work in warmer countries – where swimming is so much more desirable as a means of cooling off ! Claudia and Udo have hosted international meetings here in Portugal and also taken part in conferences and seminars all over Europe. Their work here shows that natural swimming ponds provide a sustainable and a cheaper alternative for those wishing to get close to nature and experience the pleasure of swimming ´ecologically´. 

For them, the natural swimming pond is an important part of the way gardens and landscapes are managed to enhance the experience of living here. The use and joyful acceptance of swimming ponds in tourist complexes gives many people their first opportunity to swim in one and has made many passionate converts ! The largest swimming pond in Portugal is on the Alentejo and has a surface area of 1.000m2 – definitely more of a swimming lake !

What does the future hold? There is collaboration with professional colleagues in Spain via a newly set up Iberian swimming pond organization (GIABN). Brand new as well is the JANGUISCINA project, floating public swimming ponds for use in lakes and reservoirs. A BIOTOP swimming pool, has been built near Aljezur. This Austrian patented concept is suitable for smaller urban developments as it does not need plants to clean the water but uses a biofilm filter composed of micro-organisms. Another innovative ecological product is the solar sauna called SOLAUNA. This complements the swimming pond and prolongs the swimming season even further as it can be placed near to the pond and gives the full sauna experience. Temperatures of 90ºC can be reached inside the sauna by using solar energy – no other energy source is needed and you can take full advantage of sunny winter days for a warming session before jumping into the pond !

These new ecological products show that this enterprising couple has not limited their activities to swimming ponds but has embraced the many possibilities for harnessing the rich natural resources available to all of us here in Portugal, sun worshippers and swimmers alike. Let us hope that the next fifteen years prove just as productive and innovative for this very special company.

Web site: www.biopiscinas.pt

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