The old swimming pool of The Family House to be converted in an exhibition space.
The existing swimming pool of the Family House, we revised, redesigned and renovated, is situated far from the house, in the garden and becomes a special project on its own. The project is based on the idea of using the existing structure of the swimming pool to make an interior exhibition space. This involved a cut, to create a pathway to enter the interior basin of the pool, and a roof over it.
A cut from the old mechanical services building adjacent to the swimming pool was made so that one can enter the space going through an iron door, and a small underground tunnel. A tilted metal frame with openings on its 3 sides which acts as a lid of the pool basin, was placed on top and supported on the perimeter rim edge of the concrete basin.
The pool was conserved and renovated, with all its elements as it was before, painted in shinny cyan typical pool color. The ceiling is painted white with flush insert rectilinear warm neon lights to provide a unifying lighting effect. The art on the cyan wall backdrop gives it a floating effect. The old pool lights were converted to air ventilators, and the extension of the roof lid became a concrete box to hide an air conditioning unit.
The pool roof can also be walked around as before, all elements of hard landscaping are grey cement finish, and the roof is covered in zinc. On the adjacent perimeter wall, art work by Sarah Lucas “ENVY”. In the tunnel entering the exhibition space, art work by Olafur Eliasson
A Pool for Art
A project for the garden at The Family House
Private commission 2006
Project Team:
Architect: Eleni Kostika
Assistant architects: Christina Fraktopoulou, Maria Vidali, Yiannis Vogiatzis, 3D Modeling
Civil Engineer: Yiannis Tsopanakis – Ypsilon
Mechanical Engineer: Nikolas Nakos & Partners
Audiovisual design & installation: Echokinisi Hi-End LTD, MIchalis Exarchou
Lighting Design: FOSS SA
Topography Site: Grigoris Roubos
Landscape Architect: LANDECO Filippos Kontomanolis
Construction: Yellow Constructions
Photography: Yiannis Hadjiaslanis
Alexandros Tsonidis