FOLLY POINT

Situated at the tip of Folly Point in Gloucester, MA and overlooking an abandoned quarry, this lot, although small, enjoys a 180 degree view of the ocean with the quarry in the foreground, the Atlantic in the middle, and the coasts of New Hampshire and Maine in the distant background.  The sun rises to the east over the ocean and sets to the west over New Hampshire.

Instead of competing with the uniqueness and drama of this remarkable display of the Northeastern coast with a building at the center, the site plan amplifies the potential of the long beautiful views by using the buildings (and pool) as a frame.

The pool, sitting within the 100' buffer of the high water mark, is the first chemical free living pool started in the U.S. It is based on the biology of Alpine (oligotrophic or low nutrient) lakes usually found above the tree line.  The low phosphate level of these lakes create clear potable water without chemicals.  We embraced these natural processes as a point of departure for creating a pool with an affinity for the natural beauty of the site.

The pool house, whose undulating roof recalls both water and earth, opens to the East embracing the sunrise and to the North, facing the 'Great Lawn'.  The extensive green roof of the pool house is planed with native grasses and prevents any runoff that might approach the ocean.  The plan of pool house shares a large rectangular footprint with the pool making them formally inseparable and spatially overlapping so that the interior of the pool house sits  'in' the pool.