Our trade

Lagoon pool construction:
our expertise

A lagoon pool is not a standard pool with rounded edges. The free form, the gentle slopes and the submerged shallow areas call for a precise building technique: you do not drop in a shell, you sculpt a pool. This page explains how we build a bespoke lagoon pool in Marrakech and across the rest of Morocco, from the first visit to the site through to filling.

The works

The six stages
of a build

01

Site survey

Before drawing anything, we come and look. We survey the levels, the nature of the ground, the possible presence of a water table, the sun exposure hour by hour, and above all the access: a site machinery cannot reach changes the pricing completely. It is also the moment when we spot what must be kept — an olive tree established for thirty years, a rammed-earth wall, a view.

This visit and the quote that follows from it are free and carry no obligation.

02

Design and drawings

The shape is drawn from what was surveyed, then worked up into drawings and 3D views so that you see the result before a single spadeful is turned. There we settle the depths, the position of the submerged shallow area, the siting of the plant room and the routing of the services.

This is where the proportions are set: the water depth at the start of the shallow area, the depth of the main pool and the slope linking the two. Too steep, and the descent becomes slippery; too gentle, and the shallow area needlessly eats into the swimming area.

03

Earthworks and shaping

The shape is set out full size on the ground, then adjusted on site: that is where we correct what a drawing never quite shows. Then come the excavation and the careful shaping of the bottom and the sides, with drainage if the ground calls for it.

04

EPDM geomembrane waterproofing

This is the stage that makes free form possible. Waterproofing is provided by an EPDM geomembrane, a flexible synthetic rubber that follows exactly the shape wanted: the curves, the submerged shallow area, the changes of slope.

The membrane is fitted and connected around every part that passes through it: skimmers, inlets, lights. Those connections, far more than the surface, are what call for the most care.

05

Stone carpet finish

The finish is a stone carpet (moquette de pierre), made of mineral aggregates bound with resin. It gives the lagoon pool its mineral, natural look, with a result that varies with the colour of the aggregates chosen.

The weak points remain the same: the connections, the corners and the waterline. They are what determines how the pool holds up over time.

06

Plumbing, filling and settings

Skimmers, main drains, return inlets, plant room, filtration, lighting: the network is installed and tested before filling. Then come the filling, the balancing of the water and the setting of the filtration times — which are not set once and for all but vary with the season and how much the pool is used.

We show you how the plant room works before we leave, and we stay reachable for the first adjustments.

Reference points

The points
that matter

The shaping
A bottom and sides shaped with care: that is what gives the pool its shape and the right slopes.
The connections
Skimmers, inlets, lights: every part that passes through the membrane must be connected with care. That is where watertightness is decided.
The start of the shallow area
A low water depth at the entrance to the pool: you can sit in it, children play standing up.
The swimming depth
Deep enough to swim comfortably, without digging for nothing.
The slope of the shallow area
Gentle enough not to be slippery, definite enough not to eat up the whole surface.
The share of the shallow area
On a lagoon pool, the submerged shallow area takes up a sizeable share of the pool. It is sized with you, according to use.

Ecology

What a pool
really consumes

A pool consumes water and electricity. Both can be cut markedly, but only if you think about it before digging: most of the savings are made when the equipment is chosen, not afterwards. Here are the real items, and what can be acted on.

01.

Electricity

The filtration pump is by far a pool’s largest consumption item. It is also the one where the most is gained.

  • A conventional pump runs at fixed speed and consumes continuously, whatever the real need
  • A variable-speed pump adapts its speed to the need of the moment
  • The reason is physical: reducing the flow rate lowers consumption by a far greater proportion
  • The choice of pump is decided at installation, not afterwards
02.

Water

In the Marrakech climate, it is not draining that costs water, it is daily evaporation. It is very widely underestimated.

  • Evaporation is continuous: over a season it weighs more than draining
  • It increases with heat, and even more when the air is dry and windy — wind counts as much as temperature
  • A cover greatly limits these losses; a simple sheet laid at night already removes a good part of them
  • Filter backwash water can be used for irrigation rather than going to the drain
03.

Treatment

Salt electrolysis produces the disinfectant on the spot, from the salt dissolved in the water. No more drums to carry or store.

  • The dissolved salt passes through a cell where an electric current turns it into active chlorine
  • That chlorine then recombines into salt: the cycle closes, and you hardly ever top it up
  • The water is markedly gentler on skin and eyes than conventional chlorine treatment
  • A genuine point to watch: a salt cell needs a minimum flow rate to work, which depends on the cell installed
  • This is why the low speed of a variable-speed pump is not set at random: badly set, it stops the salt cell from producing
04.

The surroundings

The planting around the pool can weigh heavily on the garden’s water consumption, or cost it almost nothing. That is decided at planting time.

  • Mediterranean and local plants, used to drought and heat
  • Mineral mulch to limit evaporation at the foot of the planting
  • Drip irrigation rather than sprinklers
  • Shade cast over part of the shallow area: more comfortable in the afternoon, and the water heats up less

Services

Before and during
the works

01.

Before

Everything that happens before signature, and that costs you nothing.

  • Site visit and on-site survey
  • Detailed quote, line by line, with no opaque lump sum
  • Drawings and 3D views of the project before the works begin
  • Advice on siting, exposure and site access
02.

During

A single point of contact from earthworks to filling. You do not have five trades to coordinate yourself.

  • Earthworks and shaping of the pool
  • EPDM geomembrane, stone carpet finish and waterline
  • Plumbing, plant room, filtration and lighting
  • Submerged shallow area, coping, rocks and planting
  • Filling, balancing and setting the filtration cycles
  • Handover of the plant room before we leave

Frequently asked questions

What we are
asked most

What is the real difference from a conventional pool?

Three real differences. The shape first: it is free, dug into the ground and then made watertight with an EPDM geomembrane, a flexible membrane that follows every curve, instead of being poured into straight formwork. Then the way you enter the water: a gently sloping beach entry replaces the ladder or the steps, you walk in as you would at the sea. Finally the integration: rocks, planting and a stone carpet finish make the pool blend into the garden instead of sitting on it.

Is a lagoon pool more fragile than a classic pool?

Not by nature. As with any pool, everything depends on how it is built: the waterproofing, provided here by an EPDM geomembrane, and above all the singular points, that is the connections around skimmers, inlets and lights, the corners and the waterline.

How much does a lagoon pool cost?

There is no honest price per square metre for this type of pool: the figure depends on the area, the depth, the nature of the ground, machinery access, the presence of a waterfall, the extent of the submerged shallow area and the level of finish. A sloping site with no lorry access and a flat site by the road are not priced the same way, for an identical pool. That is why the visit comes before the quote, and why the quote is detailed line by line.

Is maintenance more complicated?

No more than a conventional pool of the same volume. The items are identical: filtration, water balance, cleaning. Two points differ: a shallow submerged area heats up faster and calls for a little more attention to water balance in summer; and a planted edge brings more leaves, which a properly sized skimmer basket absorbs without difficulty.

How long does a project take?

It depends too much on the site and the season for a deadline announced in advance to mean anything. What we can say: the lead time depends mainly on the ground, access to the site and the surroundings. The lead time is priced in the quote, after the visit, not before.

Can an existing rectangular pool be converted?

Often yes. Depending on the state of the structure, a submerged shallow area can be added, corners softened, the waterproofing redone and the surroundings reworked to change the look completely without demolishing everything. It always begins with a survey of what is there: structure, waterproofing, services and plant room.

To go further: how a lagoon pool is made watertight: EPDM geomembrane and stone carpet, how a submerged shallow area is designed, and maintaining a lagoon pool in the Marrakech climate.

A site, an idea? Let’s talk about it.