Portsmouth Pool Pavillion
Portsmouth, RI
This project includes a pool pavilion and bocci court sited to the south of a contemporary house on an island in Narragansett Bay, Rhode Island. A sweeping sky dominates the gentle landscape that slopes downward to the water with views of both the bay and the Atlantic Ocean. In a region with a rich architectural history, it was important to the client to create a structure that related to the traditional forms of the area but reflected a contemporary approach.
The pavilion roof is a tautly abstracted gable form created from flatlock copper that articulates edges with precise corners and contemporary details.
The pavilion walls are red cedar shiplap that merges with the shaped wooden louvers that enclose the outdoor shower. An outdoor kitchen and living space make up a summer living room, with seasonal curtains that can be pulled out to enclose during winter.
Cable wire fencing embedded within landscape planting forms invisible pool fencing – a visual trick that turns the pool enclosure into a landscape design element rather than a constructed room.
