Justice Phillips
What the Judges Thought
The outdoor environment blends beautifully with the architecture. The way the block elements and reflective surfaces play off each other shows uniformity and precision. Such design elements make this pool unique.
Alison Felschow, vice president, Crystal Pools, Columbia, S.C.
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Christopher LaGuardia, Principal, LaGuardia Design Landscape Architecture, Water Mill, N.Y.
Ian Hanbach, Partner, LaGuardia Design Landscape Architecture, Water Mill, N.Y.
Justice Phillips, Partner, Pelican Pools, Southampton, N.Y.
Jim O’Brien, President, Pelican Pools, Southampton, N.Y.
In his design, landscape architect Ian Hanbach thinks in terms of creating memorable moments. That didn’t stop when strict setbacks and a unique plot orientation ruled out the possibility of a backyard pool.
This property faced a different body of water on either side —the Atlantic Ocean in the backyard, and the freshwater Fairfield Pond in the front. While this creates an idyllic situation for the homeowner, it meant the design team had a very small footprint, given the strict wetland setbacks imposed by each of the natural water bodies.
The design team wanted to let the ocean view speak for itself in the backyard, so they decided to place the pool and spa in the front. Even so, they had another restriction to maneuver: FEMA rules stated that the home must be elevated 18 feet off the ground to help protect the abode from storms. This applied to the pool area as well, since it contained electrical components.
“The big struggle is how do you connect this elevated structure down to the ground?” Hanbach says. “You have to make your way up 15 feet to get to the front door. You want to do that in a way that’s really elegant and thoughtful.”
Additionally, the property would have no lawn. “The entire landscape outside the footprint of the house, terrace and pool was given back to native revegetation,” Hanbach says. The clients love to entertain, so the hardscape would have to provide that capacity.
This elevated front yard poolscape made the statement the designers wanted. The higher elevation of the perimeter-overflow pool not only met FEMA codes, but also provided the opportunity to provide falling water at the entryway.
“We were able to get juxtaposition of those really crisp edges against really soft native landscape,” Hanbach says. “So you get that moment where you walk up, see that lush greenery … and you get that water coming over the top of the infinity edge, and it feels like it’s just disappearing right into those grasses.”
The beige Valders limestone deck reflects the tones of the quartz-based sand found on the beach, and it stays cooler during sun exposure, making it more comfortable to walk on barefoot. For contrast, the designers used Zimbabwe black granite on the raised spa coping and on the pool’s submerged perimeter.
SUPPLIERS
Autofill: Levelor K2300
Coping, deck finish: Valders Limestone Buff
Drain covers/fittings: F & G Waterways
Firefeature: ecosmart fire clean burning ethanol fire tray
Interior finish: PebbleTec Pebble Fina Sapphire Galaxy
Jets/swim currents/spa components: Waterways hydrotherapy jets and Custom Molded Products
Pump, filter, heater, controller, feeder, lights: Pentair Intelliflo XF, Sta-Rite Mod Media Cartridge filters, Max-E-Therm HD 400k BTU, Intellitouch i10+3d, Intellichem ORP/pH controller, Pentair halogen lights for pool, Glo-brite lights for spa
Outdoor elements: Tucci Umbrellas, Gandia Blasco furniture
Sanitation system: Clearwater Technology Apex VIII Ozone generator
Tile: Absolute Black Granite
Waterfeature: Oreq Custom Cascade 60” in bronze
Waterproofing: Aquron CPSP
