Pierfrancesco Fagiani
Pool Specialist Consultant

The new boundaries of transparency

The pool is without questions a good that donates beauty and prestige to the garden and to the house, and on top of that it enriches the value of the house, as we already stated in other articles.

In the big, diversified world of pool design, the glass pools represent a prestigious role, heading to the luxury world.

There are different reasons why the transparency can be asked for in a pool, in addition to the esthetical ones.

  • Valorize the view toward a panoramic point, which would so be highlighted by the transparency of one of the pool sides;
     
  • Donate lightness and brightness to the pool
     
  • Make the pool even more minimal and modern (even though the glass goes with every style)
     
  • If one of the side of the pool is attached to the house, it ensures luminosity to the adjacent room and an original view.
     
  • It also ensures a classy, luxurious touch.

In every case, whether it is used for the whole perimeter, for just one of the sides, for the adjacent wall or for the bottom, the final result is a wonderful game of transparencies which interacts with the nature and the surrounding landscape, creating a modern, minimal and absolutely fascinating effect.

 

 

GLASS VS METACRYLATE

We asked our expert, the engineer Lorenzo Girotti: “which of the two materials is the best to build transparent walls for the pool?”

"We already said that there are two materials to take into account when we talk about transparency: glass and PMMA (polymethacrylate – or so called Plexiglas).

Both are commonly used for building transparent walls and both represent valid solutions.

Talking about the glass, in order to ensure the structural needs, we use temperate laminated glass panels (that type of glass that breaks without making cutting flakes). It can also be installed using panels 6meters long maximum (so for longer walls it is necessary to create some connections or to purchase customized panels, which are way more expensive), while this problems doesn’t occur using acrylic, as the panels can be designed and cut with special machines.

The acrylic is also suitable for cornering walls and it can be designed in relation to every kind of architectural design.

The glass anyway remains the most loved material by italian people as we are attached to traditions and to what we already know, instead of preferring Plexiglas as foreigners mostly do for its perks.

New and advanced technologies of Plexiglas led to the creation of a customizing product, so the glass is being replaced by it as time passes by.

 

All right Engineer, but what are the advantages of the acrylic compared to the glass?

"The advantages are various. It’s better to put them into a list so that can be easily understood.

WEIGHT: Acrylic panels weight something like half the glass and this makes it easier to carry and to shape it.

RESISTANCE: The acrylic has way more resistance than glass, up to 17 times!

CONNECTIONS: Thanks to the modern technologies, it is possible to combine different shaped panels. These connections are also less seeable compared to the glass ones.

FLEXIBILITY: As it is a plastic material, it results to be more flexible than glass and thanks to this factor it is less subjectable to breaks and fragility compared to the ones showing on the glass as you try to customize it. 

CONDENSATION: The acrylic has a lower coefficient of heat conductivity. This means that it conducts less cold or heat (for example if it is attached to a wall of the house). It usually creates less moisture, it prevent the heat loos of the water and ensures a better isolation.

TRANSPARENCE: You may think that acrylic is not perfectly clear, but you’re wrong! In fact the glass is made by various sheets put together and separated by a plastic foil, which after a long time touching water, chemicals and atmospheric agents gets opaque and loses its transparency as years pass by.

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IN SUMMARY

Considering all the information on the market, the acrylic represents the new frontier of transparent pool as it is customizable, as it has better technical characteristics and the final result is magnificent.

If you too desire a glass or acrylic pool, contact us by filling the form or by calling us.

And may the force (of real specialists) be with you!