Trends New Zealand Trends Volume 31 No 1 New Zealand | Page 111

Want to get outside, relax and escape from it
all? A backyard entertainment space offers this
experience all summer long.
This outdoor environment was designed by
landscape architect Robin Shafer, with the pool
built by Neil Runciman of Frontier Pools and the
landscape works completed by Second Nature.
Shafer says the owners wanted an improved
connection to the steeply sloping, hard-to-access
rear section. They also wanted a family-friendly
outdoor living environment and a feature pool.
“To achieve these goals, we reconfigured
and widened the rear patio, adding a clear glass

balustrade, and creating a terraced garden with
tropical plantings that steps down the slope,”
says Shafer. “The new pool’s infinity edges
allow for uninterrupted views to the bush.
“A large, overhanging tree was removed as
this created too much shade and would have
littered the pool with leaves. With this gone,
we introduced a grouping of palms to this area
for privacy.”
Runciman, who specialises in concrete
pools, has worked closely with Shafer on many
outdoor settings and says that there were
several aspects to address for this project.

Preceding pages and these pages:
Making a splash – a sheltered
outdoor area overlooks this
dramatic pool. The project is by
landscape designer Robin Shafer,
who introduced terraced gardens
to negotiate the sloping site. The
concrete pool was set on piles to
counter the drop away and was
constructed by Frontier Pools. Eight
in-pool lighting scenarios allow the
space to take on