AIA SB Merit Award

This poolscape and cabana emerged from a football-field-sized expanse of bare, flat earth overlooking a lush agricultural region in Somis, CA. Re-introducing topography to the site, we created both a sense of place and a collection of outdoor spaces distinguished in function and feeling by unique materials and elevation changes.

Guided by the owner’s vision for an experience that feels more swimming hole than traditional pool, we wrapped the water on two sides with reclaimed-wood decking that creates a dock-like entry point and a perfect perch for toe-dipping, and used a dark, textured pool bottom to evoke a natural body of water.

The cabana’s sliding barn doors open to storage on one end and a kitchen/wet bar on the other. Adjacent to the structure, a mature field-dug olive tree anchors an elevated garden seating area that provides a shady respite from the region’s warm summers and a quiet place for taking in a moonrise over the fields below.