Sweden's Aquascape™ Team
A fairytale story…
"When two small boys of exactly the same feather meet for the first time, a light is kindled in their eyes."
— Astrid Lindgren (Emil of Lönneberga)
Malcolm Grieve — The master without a market
Nothing in Malcolm's early life suggested he would build water features in Sweden. He comes from a farm in Wagga Wagga, New South Wales, Australia.
The dream of Aquascaping began in 2016 at a festival where he worked as a machinist on the side. The site manager Corrie asked if he wanted to start building Aquascape Water Features together.
Through SA Waterscapes they became part of the Aquascape wave sweeping across Australia. Their naturalistic style was highly appreciated.
Soon came the invitation to help build the world's largest nature pool in 2018: Lake Gkula in Woodford, Australia. It was completed in 2019 and won the Sustainable Landscape Award 2020. That same year, their Crafers Aquatic Habitat won the Master Landscaper Award of Excellence.
His career was set — until a woman from Lidköping, Sweden, started working on the family farm. Malcolm named one of the waterfalls at Lake Gkula after her: Ella's Fall. And in 2021 he followed her to Sweden.
The nature pools were shelved until the time was right. Here was neither the knowledge, the network nor the demand required to carry on.
Max Johnsson — The visionary without a network
Max had always been drawn to moving water like streams and waterfalls since he was little.
When he finished high school, the largest housing cooperative in Malmö's Western Harbour was looking for a new water contractor. As the world's first climate-neutral district, Green Landscaping had not managed to keep the stormwater systems and ponds beautiful enough. Max won the contract.
The difference after the first season led the second cooperative to replace their contractor with Max too. Self-taught, he defended the contract against the industry giants for 6 years.
Stormwater systems were optimised, ponds improved. Neighbours asked him to renovate their ponds too. That's when the idea was born: couldn't you build water features from the ground up — ones that looked and worked like nature?
But in Sweden there was no one to learn from. Then life got in the way and the years went by.
Until one summer day in 2025 he was reminded of his old dream — when he discovered Aquascape Ecosystem™ on YouTube. And when he finally took the step towards nature pools he happened to meet the person he had always been looking for…
Our unlikely meeting
Five years after Malcolm landed in Sweden, our paths crossed on a Gotland nature-pool project as subcontractors for the same company.
The master without a market. The visionary without a network. It clicked instantly.
BÄCKAHÄSTEN was born.
And now it's Sweden's turn to get acquainted with something that, until recently, felt impossible here: moving the lakeside to you.
Because with us, nothing is impossible… just another challenge.
Together we create the 'impossible'
Given the right conditions, nature keeps doing the heavy lifting. That is the difference between trying to tame and collaborating with nature.
With Aquascape Ecosystem™ we create water features that both look and work like they do in nature.
How we think
"Create the right conditions FROM THE START so that nature automatically strives for fresh water of swimming quality."
We don't tame the water. We collaborate with it.
No over-engineering. No chemicals. No replaceable filters. Just a living ecosystem that becomes more beautiful and easier to maintain over time.
A little like in a fairytale.
Why "BÄCKAHÄSTEN"?
In Nordic folklore, the Bäckahästen is a mythical creature that lives in the water. Beautiful and alluring — but wild and untamed.
That's how we see water. It should be beautiful. It should draw you in. But it must be respected and understood to work.
Max 7 projects per year
We don't build nature pools on an assembly line. Every project is unique and handbuilt — shaped by your plot, your vision, your budget. It takes time to do it right.
To keep making "Koenigseggs of pools" we take a maximum of 7 projects per season. And that makes us selective — there has to be a click on our end too.
Because we want our nature pools to end up with people who truly appreciate what we do.
Sweden's Aquascape™ Team
Aquascape Ecosystem™ is not a plug-and-play system that can be installed by anyone. The modular system gives full artistic freedom and requires exact formulas to function. Long-term beauty and function can therefore only be guaranteed by an experienced contractor.
Malcolm Grieve — Founder, designer, builder
Sweden's only award-winning Aquascape Artist. Over 10 years of experience building nature pools and water landscapes in Australia — now in Sweden. Malcolm doesn't design pools. He designs ecosystems. The difference shows in every stone he lays, every plant he plants, every waterfall he shapes. Part of the team behind the world's largest nature pool.
Max Johnsson — Founder, constructor, maintenance lead
Started with ponds after high school. Took the detour via marketing and stormwater management before finding his place. Responsible for construction and ongoing maintenance — for those who want a completely worry-free experience.
Award-winning projects
Crafers Aquatic Habitat — Adelaide Hills, Australia
Master Landscaper Award 2020. "We are blown away! We love our new massive nature pool." — Jim & Deb
Lake Gkula — Woodford, Australia
The world's largest nature pool. 5,700 m², 5.5 m deep. Sustainable Landscape Award 2020. "We know Lake Gkula will be an attraction; it's that beautiful." — Bill Hauritz, Founder of Woodfordia
Frequently asked questions
Do you build outside Sweden?
Yes. Roots in Australia make newly founded BÄCKAHÄSTEN Sweden's most experienced and award-winning builder of nature pools, garden ponds, streams and waterfalls. We deliver projects across Sweden and Europe.
Where is BÄCKAHÄSTEN based?
We're based in Skåne, Sweden, but take projects across Sweden and Europe.
How long have you worked with Aquascape?
Malcolm has worked with Aquascape Ecosystem™ since 2016 — from award-winning projects in Australia to Sweden. Max has worked with water features and stormwater systems for over six years. Together we have the broadest Aquascape experience in Scandinavia.
Which awards have you won?
Our project lead Malcolm was directly involved in two award-winning and widely recognised projects. The world-record Lake Gkula won Landscape Queensland's 'Sustainable Landscape Award' 2020. The same year their Crafers Aquatic Habitat won Master Landscapers South Australia's 'MLSA Award of Excellence' 2020.