News

Every year, BIOTOP invites a jury of journalists from the trade press, magazines and newspapers covering the topics of gardens, real estate and pool facilities to submit their personal evaluation of the entries to the Design Frog Prince competition.

36 entries, more than ever before, in three categories were to be judged this year, and the expert jury chose their overall winner. And the tastes of the media representatives and the international jury of landscape architects are apparently very similar, as both selected the same Living-Pool as their winner.
One of the jurors summarised her impression of the facility as follows:

"An extraordinary and very beautiful project. The straightforward, yet warm design with the Living-Pool and its fantastic water colour, the large, sand-coloured slabs, visible concrete and wood is very harmonious and creates a unique atmosphere. A technically challenging and very well-executed solution!"

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PRESS FROG PRINCE 2016

BIOTOP PARTNER FRESNER, AUSTRIA

The facility is located in the middle of the city of Salzburg, on a hill known as Gaisberg. With a view towards Hohensalzburg fortress, the location is in one of the prime areas of the city.

The construction site was accessible only through a 2-meter-high garage; all materials and excavated earth had to be moved through this small opening.

The combination of large ceramic slabs, exposed concrete, wood, and the natural colour of the pool water creates a unique atmosphere in the garden. The Living-Pool is accessible from the house via a set of steps paralleled by waterfalls. Swimmers are thus accompanied by water on their way from the house to the pool. The overflow ledge provides a spectacular view over Salzburg, making swimming all the more enjoyable. The steps leading into the pool are made of the same material as the outside patio, and the planted grasses create a natural divider between the terrace and swimming areas.

 

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 Further winners of the Design Frog Prince competition

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We would like to thank the following journalists for taking the time to review the BIOTOP Partnerprojects: Thomas Weber, BIORAMA; Christine Vollmer, Das Einfamilien Haus, Oliver Schönfeld, Deutscher Journalistendienst – djd; Birgit Tegtbauer, Österreichischer Wirtschaftsverlag; Joachim Scheible, Naturpools; Madeleine Napetschnig, Die Presse. We would also like to extend our gratitude to Anton Schneeweiss, former head of Marketing at BIOTOP.