Greece
Dive into the Med

Paradises exist that are not so far away… To the south of Athens, the Mediterranean as a backdrop and the famous Greek architect Tasos Zeppos have infused this ultra-contemporary villa and its private swimming pool with life.

Inspired by the film Le Grand Bleu shot on the Greek island of Amorgos, the architect - a specialist of modern buildings with a flawless aesthetic and strong identities - wanted this deep, enchanting blue in the property’s pools. Straight lines, a contrast between raw material and enamelled surface, bespoke manufacture and high-strength coating were the main features in the protagonists’ eyes.

Rosaria Puglisi, agent of the Pyrolave brand in Greece for many years, sought the expertise of our colourist craftsmen to propose several samples of bespoke blues to the builder.

For the design, a real 1300-piece puzzle was produced for this pool: each enamelled lava panel was made to measure and the raw lava copings measure 150 x 794 mm, i.e. an area of 185m², to which stairs in a sandblasted version to make them non-slip are added.

The end of the pool hosts a large jacuzzi, also in enamelled lava, whose seats are made with Volvic lava pieces 60 mm thick x 1500 mm long. This outdoor spa needed over 200 holes to be bored in-situ to ensure a perfect fit. “A nerve-racking step coming at the end of the process, but all run smoothly thanks to the recommendations of the Pyrolave design office and carried out by the local teams. We were able to deliver the project on time and appreciate this magnified place”, Rosaria told us.  

 

 

Once the preserve of the British gentry, a new generation of English “Clubs” is gradually opening around the world and offering beautiful rooftop terraces with a bar, an enamelled lava stone swimming pool and a breathtaking view…

Created in the purest English tradition of private clubs, Soho House was established in 1995 in London’s Soho district. More than perfect services and exceptional rooftop terraces are the hallmarks of these places. Immerse yourself in the heart of London and Berlin through these 2 prestigious top-floor swimming pools entirely lined in enamelled lava stone … “from France with love”!

In Berlin, the preliminary study for the pool lining was carried out in a temperature of -15° with ice blocks already present in the pool under construction. This said a lot about the future construction site, but it gave considerable backing to the choice of the architect, Michaelis Boyd London, of enamelled lava stone that is completely frost-proof.

In addition to the technical properties, the designer wanted an infinity edge pool completely lined with enamelled listel borders, custom-made to avoid any later cutting on site. The Pyrolave Design Office provided the installers with a layout drawing and each lava tile was meticulously numbered. A project far from simple but which is the reflection of a really extraordinary Emerald Green swimming pool! And a real success in the view of the Soho House Group customer for which Pyrolave has made a second swimming pool for one of the London establishments.

In fact, it was the work accomplished in Berlin, and the impressive subtlety quality of finish with the depth of colour that is so particular to enamelled lava stone that tipped the balance compared to competitors and their more ordinary mosaic tiles for this London hotel. 57 m² of Essence coloured listel borders were delivered.

180 House -
180 Strand, Temple, London WC2R 1EA, United Kingdom
Soho House Berlin -
Torstraße 1, 10119 Berlin, Germany

Turquoise escape
in Mumbai

It was during a stopover at the Soho House Hotel in Berlin that the young Indian owner experienced love at first sight. An emerald-coloured swimming pool would soon take its place in his garden.

Intensity of colour, the crackle effect of the enamel so particular to enamelled lava stone and a totally exceptional size are the watchwords of this project juxtaposed with an extraordinary villa and a lush tropical garden.

Exceeding 25 m in length and with a width of nearly 5 m, this pool required the manufacture of more than 800 pieces of enamelled lava stone. From rough lava stone panels pre-cut in our Volvic workshops, the various elements were then cut and enamelled in the RAL 6033 finally selected by the architect, Mancini, and the owner of the house.

400 rectangular panels of 1 m to 1.5 m long x 18 cm wide and 2 cm thick cover the bottom and sides of the pool. Various more complex corner pieces of nearly 10 cm in thickness and other wall nosing and small finishing tiles were manufactured and enamelled over several months in our workshops in the South West of France. Finally, the steps of the swimming pool stairs each have 2 anti-slip strips themselves made of lava stone with a roughened finish. Rough lava stone embedded in the enamelled lava stone combining aesthetics and secure access for swimming.

As regards installation, a technician from the Pyrolave Design Office and our agent in Asia, Nicolas Jamilloux, went to the site on arrival of the materials to train the local teams responsible for the installation for 10 days. Details of the installation drawings, tips for bonding, the creation of seals, etc.… all the key points were completely covered and a whole section of the swimming pool was installed.

An out-of-ordinary range project for our workshops, shipped thousands of miles away and completed in record time… It was the successful alignment of all of the above that allowed the result which fully meets the customer’s expectations and a swimming pool that melts extraordinarily into its lush setting.

 

 

Let us head to the Pyrolave workshops where the teams are finalising 2 new swimming pool projects:

Bermuda Pool:
Enamelled lava stone was the obvious choice for the end customer. Already supplied for the counter tops of one of his residences in the USA in 2015, the owner wanted enamelled lava stone to line his swimming pool in Bermuda. The house and all the outbuildings are placed around the pool, the real focal point of the property. The more the rays of the sun travel though the water, the more it is crystalline. And this is amplified with a white pool coating. The customer thus chose Antique White for the 2,900 20 mm wide x 120 mm long tiles required for the project.

Swimming pool in Saudi Arabia:
The Pyrolave workshop has just completed the production of 240 m2 tiles of very small size (4.9 cm side), i.e. 100,000 pieces machined and delivered by our company Mallet to Volvic (extraction and cutting of the lava stone), then coated, enamelled, placed on the kiln bars and packed at Castelsarrasin. A real three-colour game of patience: White Antique, Peony and Blue Marine!