It’s a swimming pool that doesn’t exist anyplace else, one that stretched our skill sets to find creative solutions to surprisingly steep challenges. Last year, the project was awarded the Northeast Swimming Pool Association Outstanding Achievement Award, a source of pride given the project’s high level of difficulty.
The project is located on the Connecticut coast overlooking Long Island Sound on a beautiful 10-acre property in an upscale neighborhood. The house is brand new, built the same time as the pool. We were brought into the process by the landscape architect, who introduced me to the architect, the owner and his wife, their representatives, the engineer and the general contractor. It was a big project team with highly experienced professionals all around the table.
When we came on board, they were looking at a thumbnail concept based on a large rectangular pool on a slope overlooking the water. We knew there would probably be some kind of custom edge treatment, but what that would be exactly was yet to be determined. It was a largely open-ended design for an owner who wanted something no one else has.
COLLABORATIVE EFFORT
The owner is a great guy, very down to earth, especially for someone of his means, the kind of person you’d have a beer with after a softball game. He was an active collaborator start to finish, and none of what follows here would’ve been possible without his unflinching trust in our ability.
Early on when we were talking about edge treatments, he asked me, “What’s cool these days, what’s in, what’s exciting?” I suggested that we consider vanishing edge on the view side of the pool and a perimeter slot overflow on the other. The big design concept being to a create a clean architectural look that visually links the water, the view, and the surrounding outdoor living spaces and landscape.
Given that he wanted something cutting edge, I also suggested using acrylic panels where you can swim underwater and look out toward the sound, or look into the pool form the outside. We also talked about features such as a hidden automatic cover, multiple deck and viewing areas, fire elements, an attached spa, glass tile, natural stone, and a host of other luxury details. The owner said, “Okay, let’s do it.” I asked do what? He said, “All of it.”
To read more about how this award-winning project required innovative solutions to overcome a set of uniquely tricky hurdles, click here.