Recommendations for the planning, construction and maintenance of private swimming and natural pools

Background and content:

Swimming and natural pools are artificially created eco systems in which the water is purified either fully or in part through biological processes – in contrast to conventional pools.

Whereas conventional open-air swimming pools are generally designed by structural engineers and constructed by building construction firms or civil engineering companies, the planning, construction and maintenance of swimming and natural pools has increasingly become established as a domain of landscape architects and gardening and landscaping companies.

At present, more than 12 "natural pool systems" are available in Germany. Although some of their components have similarities, the way in which the natural pools work and their appearance are quite different. In addition, a large number of installations have been constructed which, despite not being tied to a particular "system", have still been built on the basis of a very solid understanding of the technical requirements and are in no way inferior to the "system pools", neither in terms of function nor in terms of form.

However, pools have started to crop up in recent years which have neither been built in accordance with the information provided by the system suppliers, nor have been built with sufficient understanding or expertise. The spread of this type of pool systems (built "on the cheap“) would no doubt in the long term endanger the emerging trend for building "natural swimming pools“ which seems set for success.

As the FLL recommendations for planning, construction, maintenance and operation of public swimming and natural pools which were already published in 2003 ("Empfehlungen für Planung, Bau, Instandhaltung und Betrieb von öffentlichen Schwimm- und Badeteichanlagen") only find limited application in the private sector, it was necessary for the Forschungsgesellschaft Landschaftsentwicklung Landschaftsbau e. V. (FLL) (research institute for landscape development and landscapebuilding), an organisation which supplies bodies of rules for the "green" industry in Germany, to work together with the Deutsche Gesellschaft für naturnahe Badegewässer e. V. (DGfnB) (German society for semi-natural swimming waters) in order to draw up a special body of rules for private swimming and natural pools.

The technical equipment of the private swimming and natural pools which have been built so far varies depending on the size of the pool and the requirements of the owner.

This made it essential to classify the pools that had already been built or for which the planning was in progress, in order to then use this information as the basis for a set of requirements which would need to be complied with when swimming and natural pools are planned, constructed or maintained.

• Scope of Validity, Purpose, Definition of Terms, Legal and Normative Basics, Biology and chemistry (Limnological principles / Significance of biocenoses / Significance of the nutrients nitrogen and phosphorus / importance of hygiene / Importance of use intensity / Notes on the fill-up water),




• Water circulation, Types of natural pools, Planning, description of services (General information / Site criteria / Space requirements Equpement elements / Descrition of services)




• Building requirements (General information / Excavation /Seperation of swimming area and regeneration area / Sealing / Swimming area / Regeneration area / Water circulation / Plants, planting work)




• Acceptance inspection, Claims due to defect, Maintenance (General information / Checks (inspection) / Care / Maintenance of the structural objects and technical installations / Repairs)




• List of references/bibliography, Appendix