Original plans called for the pool to be positioned next to the Vermont lakeside home. However, because the residence is built on a peninsula, Cincotta did not want to compromise the property’s serenity and limited landmass. To minimize the impact of this sizable addition to an already large home, the pool was conceived as a grotto, partially nestled underground and open to lake views from the back side. Utilizing a space carved out of the solid rock adjacent to that on which the house rests, an alternate subterranean world was created. A living roof, planted with wild strawberries and other vegetation, is the only part of the structure visible from the entry side of the house.
“We wanted to provide a pool next to a very large house without overwhelming the house,” said architect Joseph Cincotta of LineSync Architecture in Wilmington, VT. “Because the pool is about the same size as the house, we dug into the ground so that it didn’t overpower the house,” Cincotta explained. “One simply steps down from the home into the pool area and enters an underground cave world.”