A brief for a garden outhouse is often a request for an idyllic home office resting between the evergreens, or something like a yoga studio or home gym. Rarely does it entail the housing of a 10m heated lap pool…particularly in London!
But for the architects at Mitchell+Corti, their latest garden project detailed just that. Never ones to turn down a challenge, the studio welcomed the brief with an appetite to really push the boundaries of what an indoor pool could look like.
“Extensive research showed a lack of warmth and softness in indoor pool design. So we set out to create a space that felt timeless, with varied changing textures. A space where light, shadows and materials would appear different throughout the day and depending on the weather,” say the team.
And it’s true. When you look at the landscape of at-home, indoor pools, the aesthetics often fall short. They tend to be strictly clinical spaces, basking in a plastic blue glaze, lacking any sort of personality. Not to mention thought for the swimmer experience. Yet here, Mitchell+Corti prioritise experience over everything.
The building “offers an intimate swimming experience in an environment that harnesses the beneficial effects of the surrounding context, landscape and sky.”
With that in mind, the pool house manifests as a seemingly typical garden outhouse, with burnt orange brickwork linking the new structure to the main property. Slices of glass break-up these reddy externals, providing swimmers with a constant connection to the landscape. Meanwhile, skylights hang above, doubling up as natural light filters and portals for a mid-swim daydream.
Instead of the brighter blues native to these kind of spaces, the surfaces and tiles Mitchell+Corti utilise internally take on more of a verdant hue. These ground the building to the garden and solidify its connection to nature. Decorative curtains only add to this organic feel.
Despite hiding between the greens of the garden, Mitchell+Corti ensured the build was low in height as to not impact the privacy of neighbouring properties, or interrupt sight-lines. Ultimately, this “informed its layout, location and overall massing,” say the architects.
Built into the ground on pile foundations, the pool house is partially sunken. As such, the interior benefits from the open and airy feel that high ceilings provide. In addition, the embedded form also assures the outbuilding sits subtly in the landscape, rather than appearing overly domineering.
Designing to conceal was also the ethos Mitchell+Corti exercised internally. “The design works to ensure all services are carefully concealed (air handling, ventilation, lighting). Thus the natural stone and microcement walls become the main focus. And water reflections can freely wash across the walls, floor and ceilings.”
By doing so, the outhouse offers swimmers a tranquil escape. A clear space inspires a clear mind, and that’s exactly what Mitchell+Corti have achieved here.
Though the experiential factors largely guided the design aesthetic, sustainability certainly had a part to play in the architectural footprint.
“The building runs on an air source heat pump located in the garden. A retractable insulated pool cover concealed beneath the floor enables minimal heat loss and a stable water temperature. The building envelope is also highly insulated. It has deep external walls, triple glazing across all doors, windows and skylights, and UV solar protection to limit overheating.”
In addition to the 10m heated pool, the new build also contains a hydrotherapy facility, a changing room and a shower area for the clients, their friends and family. Local children are also welcome for swimming lessons.
Project details:
Location: London
Architect & Interior Designer: Mitchell + Corti (see more work here)
Contractor: IC&T Projects
Specialist Subcontractor: Roman Pools
Structural Engineer: Mitchinson Macken
Photographer: Ståle Eriksen
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