About Aqua Vitae Natural Pool Builders
Uniting architecture, landscape, and living water through aesthetic-first design.
International Water Artisan of the Year 2025
Who We Are
Aqua Vitae is a design–build studio specialising in natural pools and living water environments, serving clients across Portugal, Europe, California, the U.S., Australia and the Middle East.
We create custom natural swimming pools, biopools, water features, koi ponds and natural lakes that blend seamlessly with their surroundings — each project sculpted to suit its land, its architecture and the vision of its owner.
We work with homeowners, retreats, and developers worldwide, combining ecological design, precise engineering and artisan stonework to create long-lasting, chemical-free water environments that are both beautiful and built to endure.
Winner at the 2025 International Water Artisan of the Year Awards — one of three projects selected globally for excellence in innovation, craftsmanship and naturalistic design. Previously recognised at the San Francisco Garden Show (Best Use of Water in Design) and the Carmel Garden Show twice, including a Special Innovation Award for Unique Design.
Joel McEwen Patterson — Founder
Joel began building natural pools in California in his early twenties, trained under David Cohen of Waterstone Specialty — one of the pioneering figures of the natural pool movement in the United States. Within three years he was managing the company. The clients were Silicon Valley executives, physicians, artists and musicians with properties in Los Altos, Pebble Beach and Carmel. The work was private, discreet and exceptional — done without fanfare, without press. Simply exceptional craft for people who recognised and demanded it.
"I was not interested in building pools," he says. "I was interested in building water environments — living systems that responded to their landscapes, that improved with age, that looked as if they had always been there." By his mid-twenties he had won the top awards at the San Francisco Garden Show and twice at the Carmel Garden Show, including a Special Innovation Award for Unique Design created specifically for a project that had no existing category.
Portugal was supposed to be a visit. He arrived in the Sintra region — forested hills, Atlantic mist, extraordinary stone — and something clicked. The visit became a stay. The stay became three projects. The Lisbon Oasis, built from over 200 tons of local limestone, went on to win at the 2025 International Water Artisan of the Year Awards. He now lives fifty metres from the Atlantic. He did not plan any of it. The water, as it tends to, found its own level.
International Water Artisan of the Year 2025 — one of three projects selected globally for excellence in naturalistic design, innovation and craftsmanship.
Also recognised at
Our Approach
Our Design Philosophy
Most natural pool builders repeat the same rectangular template, regardless of the land or architecture. We do the opposite. Every Aqua Vitae project begins with the property itself — its contours, views, materials, and architectural character.
Whether the solution is modern, naturalistic, or a hybrid of both, the environment determines the form, and our engineering adapts to support it. No templates. No standardised shapes. No "one-size-fits-all" pools — ever.
This aesthetic-driven approach is what makes our work feel timeless, intentional, and naturally integrated with the landscape.
Build Quality
Superior Engineering
Every Aqua Vitae project is built on precision engineering and structural longevity. While many natural pools rely on loose liners, loose stone, and unreinforced edges, our build method is engineered for long-term stability and watertight integrity.
We use a proprietary construction system in which the waterproof liner is installed behind a reinforced concrete layer — creating a seamless, permanent membrane that protects both the structure and the finish, resulting in systems that last up to three times longer than conventional natural or chemical pools.
This allows us to sculpt the interior with precise forms, curves, steps, benches, shelves, landings, and stonework — giving each pool a clean finish that blends naturally into the landscape.
Technology
State-of-the-Art Filtration
We integrate the most advanced European filtration systems available — pairing biological and mechanical filtration with UV-C sterilisation and optional nanobubble oxygenation. Our systems maintain perfect water balance without chemicals, consuming up to 70% less electricity than conventional pools.
Aqua Vitae is proud to be an authorised dealer and certified installer for:
- Firestone Elevate EPDM Liners — industry-leading flexibility, UV resistance, 25-year warranty
- AquaForte Pumps & Filters — ultra-efficient European systems, up to 5-year warranty
- Blue Lagoon / AquaForte UV-C Sterilizers — high-output amalgam units, 3–5 year warranty
Biomimetic Design
Designed to Feel Natural
Where others stop at functionality, we focus on experience. Our pools are sculpted and contoured to feel like natural swimming holes — complete with custom stone staircases, submerged landings, plant terraces, and gentle gradients inspired by local ecology.
Through biomimetic design principles, authentic stonework, and natural earth-form shaping, we recreate the serenity of wild water — but with the comfort, clarity, and performance of a precision-engineered system.
We also integrate custom hardwood structures and natural timber finishes crafted by specialist carpenters — sealed with non-toxic, eco-safe finishes for long life and a seamless aesthetic connection between water and landscape.
Every system we build supports ecological benefits: groundwater recharge, natural biodiversity, microhabitats for amphibians and pollinators, and reduced chemical load on soil and waterways. We build regenerative water systems — not just pools.
Our Work
What We Create
From natural swimming pools and biopools to natural lakes, koi ponds, water features, regenerative landscapes and pool conversions — every Aqua Vitae project is custom-designed, never repeated.
Our Craft
Craftsmanship & Innovation
Our work is guided by a collective of specialists and master craftsmen carrying forward the lineage of the early natural pool movement.
Drawing on decades of experience in hydrology, ecological engineering, landscape design, and stone craftsmanship, we merge traditional techniques with cutting-edge technology.
This multidisciplinary approach creates water systems that function as living ecosystems — precise in engineering, timeless in form, and grounded in deep respect for nature.
Living water, by design.
Work with us
Start with a Conversation
— from €180
Whether you're planning a build in Portugal, California or anywhere in the world — a consultation with Aqua Vitae gives you direct access to the International Water Artisan of the Year 2025. We'll assess your site, discuss your vision, and give you honest guidance on costs, design and what's possible.
Book a Consultation →Available remotely worldwide — or on-site in Portugal, the U.S. and Spain.