1 Splash by Manuel Ocaña
When a new building was constructed behind the back garden of a Madrid family home, what was once an infinity pool that seemed to extend into the sunset became a dark and unwelcoming body of water, overshadowed by a rough and imposing concrete wall. Local architect Manuel Ocaña was called on to help disguise the intrusion with an intervention, which had to preserve access to a staircase that descends alongside the pool. Ocaña’s solution: a vertical garden that floats between spaces, and is adorned with a scattering of mirrored discs to reflect much-needed light into the garden and onto the water’s shimmering surface.
2 Block Party by Andrew Faris
Each summer, the Manhattan Park Pool Club on Roosevelt Island features a pop-up redesign in the form of a mural that transforms the pool deck for the length of the summer season. This year, Andrew Faris – a Jackson, Wyoming, artist who is known for his colourful, geometric paintings – transformed the space with a candy-coloured rainbow.
3 Syros Residence by Block722
This summer house on the Greek Island of Syros, designed by Athens-based Block722 Architecture, recently earned the firm a place in the 8th Biennale of Young Greek Architects. The main house is surrounded by four guest cabins, and the stand-out feature of the getaway is the infinity pool that overhangs the rocky shoreline to disappear into the Aegean Sea beyond.
Located outside the Argentine resort town of Pinamar, and tucked between the sand-dune coastline and a pine forest, Casa L4 is truly a hidden gem. The four-bedroom house features concrete walls – inside and out – and maximizes outdoor space with a rooftop pool that allows minimal interruption of the natural landscape and trees. It also enables the residents to enjoy stunning views while they swim amongst the treetops.