2015 International Awards of Excellence
Hearthstone Environments, LLC.
Roswell, Georgia
678-521-8558
Hearthstone Environments, LLC.
Category
Installations in the U.S. & Canada > Residential Concrete Pools > Natural Setting
Description
By far, the biggest challenge the homeowner set before us began with his desire to combine two separate lots, each with its own house, within an urban-revival neighborhood in order to allow for the construction of a single pool that was to be an escape from city life and filled with moving water and natural elements. An architectural connection between the two homes was designed and built as a creative solution to satisfy the building and zoning department’s requirements for one primary structure per lot.Elevations differences between the two homes required that the pool and patio design solution allow for the grade change. This ultimately led to the development of two separate water levels, and three patio terraces, including a lower seating area where the pool beam doubles as a bench for a gas burning firepit. The grade changes also inspired a hand-carved grotto that mimics natural stone in an extremely convincing fashion. Built into a hill, the grotto has a real and faux stone waterfall that collects and cascades from above and also has a “secret” cave-like entrance behind. The inside of the grotto is decorated with several whimsical elements such as carved fossils, iridescent pigments, and colorful mosaic glass tile. The pool itself is surrounded by natural and fabricated stone coping and boulders. The waterline is finished in expertly installed glass mosaic tile and the interior transitions from “Sandy Beach” PebbleTec inside the grotto to a custom glass “BeadCrete” color throughout the pool floor. An upper wading/sunning basin also contains “Sandy Beach” PebbleTec, mosaic glass waterline tile, and has several bubbler fountains. Recirculated water spills over stone, boulders, and hand-carved rock work, and falls thirty inches into the pool below. Another piece of Architectural whimsy was created with the addition of a lighthouse inspired stone corner post. This post acts as a visual anchor and transition between the two levels. LED’s inside of the lighthouse illuminate the surrounding patio and add to the overall ambiance in the evening. The entire project was brought together with the carefully thought out and executed landscaping plan. Masses of vegetation fill in and bridge the gaps between structural elements and helped succeed in providing the oasis like aesthetic the homeowner was searching for.
Winner Status
- Silver
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