The Pool House was designed as an escape.  Whether for an early morning swim, an afternoon workout, or enjoying the fire while gazing at the Front Range in the distance, the entire site was designed with simplicity, flexibility and environmental responsibility in mind.  Designed as a cohesive whole, the landscape, pool and structure blend various functions and uses to create a singular sense of place.  The transition between indoor and outdoor is practically non-existent and the entire site exists in harmony with the client’s existing house.

The client’s main desires for the site were to have a place to exercise, swim and entertain. The simplicity of program is further propagated by the simplicity of the building’s form and detailing.  Conceived as a modern glass box, the structure engages various transparencies and glazing systems to allow ample daylight during the day.  Wood ceilings and Chillewich woven flooring add to the simple, clean, yet warm material palette.

Large roof overhangs create shady outdoor areas to relax and soak in the beautiful Colorado weather year round.  The north wall provides the only opaque wall in the project, providing privacy as well as thermal and structural needs.  Large sliding doors, which make up the south wall, pocket into one another creating an illusion of a ‘non-existing’ wall, further blurring the distinction between inside and outside.  A translucent, butt-glazed window system acts as bookends on the east and west walls, as well as the interior restroom walls, to create a Zen-like space of simplicity. 

A number of different sustainable strategies are being applied throughout the project.  The building is designed based on passive solar strategies including solar orientation and large roof overhangs to the south.  The mechanical system has been designed specifically for the project’s size to react to the amount of glazing with speed and efficiency.  High efficiency boilers are being used for heating the pool year round and for the snow melt system.

Semple Brown Design team: Sarah Brown; JC Elder

Photography by Mayra Galvez for Semple Brown Design, P.C.