about the pool that went viral
The pool we built for Dorian Popa was a surprising project—because it’s not every day that your client is someone so energetic, involved, and constantly in the public eye. We internally dubbed the project “The Viral Pool” because, essentially, it was like building a regular pool—with the added twist of a social media star documenting the entire process and shining a spotlight on our work.
If you’re curious about how a sunken concrete pool is built, this article will walk you through everything you need to know from a contractor’s perspective.
! Before anything else, you need to consider:
The available space, the source of water and electricity, the site analysis (a geotechnical study that reveals the soil composition where the pool will be built), and the pool’s design based on its intended use. You need to know what kind of pool you want or figure out which solution fits your time and budget best. There are in-ground or above-ground pools, custom-built, prefabricated, natural, or categorized by materials—such as concrete, metal, polyester/acrylic, and more.
In short, a pool is built in a few basic stages:
1. Pool Design
In this case, the pool was designed by our partners at Outbox Studio.
2. Construction Permit
- Yes, a construction permit is required for most types of pools.
! The permit is issued by the Urban Planning Department of the local city hall or sector where the pool will be built. This step requires a carefully drafted project by a specialized firm. There are many factors that might slip under the radar, and your dream pool could easily turn into a nightmare if things aren’t planned properly.
3. Land clearing and excavation
- Once the initial requirements are met, the actual construction work can begin. First, the land is measured, then the area is cleared (removing surface vegetation), and excavation begins.
Excavation can be done manually or by machine, depending on the site’s location. The foundation soil is leveled, and a protective plastic sheet is placed to shield the walls from rain and sun (the sheet traps moisture and keeps the soil damp so the excavation maintains its shape). The pool was built in two stages, both following the same steps. We began by constructing the technical room and the balancing tank, leaving openings for the necessary systems. We raised the walls up to two-thirds of the final height and started constructing the pool itself, finishing by pouring the final third to make the walls uniform.
4. Actual Construction
We began by tying the first layer of mesh for the foundation reinforcement (35 cm thick), using 10×10 cm steel mesh. Then we installed the plumbing and connected it to the technical room. After placing the second layer of mesh, we poured the concrete foundation (the pool base).
Next came the walls. We tied the rebar, built the formwork, and left openings for lights, inlets/outlets, wave pumps, etc., to embed them into the structure. Once the concrete was poured, the pool shell was complete.
Meanwhile, we built the fence and insulated the pool to protect the plumbing from freezing during winter. What you see in black is a concrete bonding primer applied for better plaster adhesion. We also applied a brush-on waterproofing membrane. Then we moved on to pouring the courtyard. We leveled the terrain, added a plastic membrane (to prevent water loss from the cement), and compacted gravel for capillary break. We reinforced it with mesh, built the formwork, and poured the concrete for the terrace, leaving an expansion joint around the perimeter.
Up to this point, we used:
- 13 cubic meters of concrete for leveling,
- Another 56 cubic meters of C20/25 concrete for the rest of the pool,
- And 4,550 kg of rebar for reinforcement.
For the technical room openings, we fabricated two stainless steel covers flush with the terrace line so they would be invisible.
That’s where our part of the project ended, although the pool still required additional finishing work (several layers of specialized waterproofing and “magical” installation solutions), handled by the pool company contracted by the client.
This project turned out to be a massive, unexpected success. Dorian Popa was pleased, we shook hands, and parted ways. We strongly encourage you to always consult a specialist before starting your own “viral pool” project. For construction, you can contact us—and to make it go viral, we recommend our good friend, Dorian Popa.
