The Pools are part of a new planned residential development in the Great Park neighborhood in Irvine, Calif. The design recognizes the changing role of the community center and consolidates this precious resource along with other features into a single central destination for all — a neighborhood amenities park.
The facility is an expression and reinterpretation of the quintessential southern California lifestyle. Conceived as an airy pavilion that protects from elements and suggests enclosed space, while purposefully connecting to the outdoors to leverage the mild local climate and surrounding amenities, The Pools includes family and leisure pools, a communal ‘living room,’ a library space, a full outdoor kitchen and several cabanas and deck lounges.
The materials palette is simple and elegant. Stacked stone walls ground the structure, while floating teak wood ceilings add warmth. Large-format porcelain tile floors and operable glass walls provide a seamless indoor-outdoor flow. The towers are clad in smooth plaster and are capped with a brushed metal ‘reflector’ that is lit with programmable LEDs to visually communicate events to the community.