Butterfly Pool Pavilion
A private pool pavilion on Long Island dedicated to butterfly swimming — a 1,500-square-foot pitched-roof structure set within a wooded estate, its interior defined by a single lap pool flanked by full-height glazing and a rhythmic colonnade of white vertical fins.
The Butterfly Pool Pavilion is a private aquatic structure set within a wooded residential estate on Long Island, New York. Built for a single purpose — the practice of butterfly swimming — the 1,500-square-foot pavilion is conceived as a precisely scaled enclosure for a single lap pool, its architecture calibrated to the specific spatial and environmental demands of the stroke.
Structure and Form
The pavilion takes the form of a simple pitched-roof volume oriented along the length of the pool. A rhythmic colonnade of slender white vertical fins lines both long sides of the interior, framing full-height glazing that opens the space to the surrounding landscape while filtering direct sunlight. The pitched ceiling is lined with striped acoustic panelling that follows the roof slope, creating an interior at once luminous and acoustically controlled — absorbing the reverberant qualities typical of enclosed pool environments.
Interior
The pool itself occupies virtually the entire floor area of the pavilion, with minimal deck on either side. At one end, an oak-lined stair volume is set into the wall, providing entry from the adjacent residence and introducing a material warmth against the otherwise white and blue-grey palette of the interior. A shower fixture is integrated into the striped wall, and a steel pool ladder provides direct access to the water. The interior is designed to be experienced primarily from within the pool — the swimmer’s view along the water surface, through the colonnade, to the trees beyond.
Environment
The full-height glazing on both sides establishes a direct visual connection to the surrounding landscape, so that the experience of swimming is embedded within the seasonal changes of the Long Island woodland. At dusk, the glazed walls reverse the relationship — the pavilion becomes a glowing volume visible from the terrace and the main residence, its striped ceiling and illuminated interior reflected in the water below.
Terrace
An exterior timber deck extends from one side of the pavilion, furnished with lounge seating and spherical ground lights that define the outdoor space at night. The terrace mediates between the pavilion and the garden, providing a transitional zone between the aquatic interior and the wooded estate.
