THE IMPACT OF REFLECTION

Reflecting pools are good for the soul. They are more than merely a design element. They are shiny planes serving as windows, both to our pasts and our futures. They bring a calm respite from our day to day inner chatter and surrounding noise.

Today, in the middle of Memorial Day weekend, we are reflecting on a curated set of beautiful contemporary reflecting pools as well as a brilliant forest installation of mirrored trees.

PETER WALKER & MICHAEL ARAD

One of the most important reflecting pools designed in recent times is those at the National September 11 Memorial. The project was designed by landscape architect Peter Walker and architect Michael Arad.

It is a tribute of remembrance and honor to the nearly 3,000 people killed in the terror attacks of September 11, 2001 and in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing.

These twin reflecting pools are each about one acre in size and feature the largest manmade waterfalls in the North America. They occupy the original footprints where the Twin Towers once stood.

The names of every person who died in the 2001 and 1993 attacks are inscribed into bronze panels edging the Memorial pools.

BIRDSEYE DESIGN

This reflecting pool presents the illusion that the house is emerging from the water. The pool, on Shelburne Farms in Shelburne Vermont, makes a beautiful reflection of the wood walled house and nearby foliage. The outdoor pool, designed by Birdseye Design, is lined at the bottom with stones to enhance a natural look. The house itself was designed with a particular eye for its orientation relative to the sun, providing stunning views.

OWNBY DESIGN

Phoenix, AZ

Ownby Design has created a stunning reflecting pool in the entryway courtyard of this Phoenix, Arizona home. You can almost imagine the soft cascading sound of the bubbler in the middle of the pool during a silent night.

HOUSE & HOUSE ARCHITECTS

This reflecting pool seems to emerge from the door to the home as an extension, drawing the interior into the exterior. The browns and grays of the surrounding stone are highlighted by the brilliant turquoise color of the pool, designed by House and House Architects.

The entirety of the house, called Casa Lluvia Blanca, in San Miguel de Allende, is sublime, especially entry patios, lush with plants.

ABRAMSON TEIGER ARCHITECTS

The Kelly Residence, shown here, was designed by Abramson Teiger Architects. The entire property is designed with sustainability in mind, including hidden photovoltaic cells, water reclamation, and an artificial lawn. This reflecting pool highlights the use of such pools for cooling. As air moves across the pool it is chilled by the open water, decreasing cooling costs for the whole home.

GILDAY ARCHITECTS

This “minimalist ranch-house,” designed by Gilday Architects and called the Fish Creek Residence, features a gorgeous narrow reflecting pool dividing the driveway from the home itself. Inside the pool is a bridge of pavers, providing access to the residence. The home’s calm gray stone exterior is reflected in the pool.

GARRET CORD WERNER ARCHITECTS

Garret Cord Werner Architects and Interior Design has done a phenomenal job on this reflecting pool at the Lake Washington Shores Art House. The “floating” living room overhangs the tranquil pool and is reflected back in the pools waters. Artists from all over the Pacific Northwest come to showcase their works in this beautiful home.

DICK CLARK ARCHITECTURE

The Lake Travis Retreat, by Dick Clark Architecture, showcases a beautiful outdoor reflecting pool that highlights the sky, the nearby foliage or the structure itself depending on the vantage point. Nearby the pool are reclining chairs for sitting and basking in the pools tranquil properties.

KWK PROMES

The theme of the Aatrial House in Opole, Poland is openness to the outside. This reflecting pool certainly contributes to that theme, providing views of the sky to those indoors or views of the house to those outside, causing a flow of energy between the two places.

LEWIS AQUATECH

This reflecting pool, designed by Lewis Aquatech, doubles as a free-form infinity pool on the edge facing outwards into the forest. When the air is still the pool reveals the beauty of the surrounding trees, making the bridge that crosses the pool an awesome place for quiet contemplation.

GREGORY PHILLIPS ARCHITECTS

Gregory Phillips Architects has designed a sleek and compact reflecting pool for this contemporary house. The pool helps to cool the air around it, providing the outdoor seating area next to it with a pleasant temperature. The tall windows bordering the pool appear almost endless reflected in the still waters.

JOAKIM KAMINSKY & MARIA POLL

Sometimes it takes looking in a mirror to see both the forest and the trees. Joakim Kaminsky and Maria Poll took this concept into the forests of Medelpad in northern Sweden.

They created an art/impact installation that reflected the life cycle of this pine forest.

This forest, as with 90% of those in Sweden, is of relatively new growth because it is chopped down and regrown continuously in a 60 years life cycle.

The reflections are meant to visualize a memory of earlier generations of pine trees that once lived here as well as to project a view of their relatively short life ahead and the clear-cut land that will emerge.

Read more about Beautiful Reflections, as it relates to Arts/Design, Nature/Science, Food/Drink, Place/Time, Mind/Body, and Soul/Impact including Reflecting it All So Beautifully, Humans Nature: Mutual Reflections, 10 Beautiful Bowls Of Reflections, The Beautiful Art Of Reflection, Reflections Upon Reflections, and Who is the Fairest of Them All?.

Photo Credits:

1. Photo: Courtesy of 911.org. The September 11 Memorial Reflecting Pools.

2. Photo: Courtesy of the World Trade Center. World Trade Center Memorial.

3. Photo: by Emilio Santacoloma. World Trade Center Memorial Reflecting Pool.

4. Photo: Courtesy of carstenknock.com. Reflecting Pool.

5. Photo: Courtesy of Birdseye Design. Reflecting Pool in Burlington.

6. Photo: Courtesy of House and House Architects. Casa Iluvia Blanca.

7. Photo: Courtesy of Abramson Teiger Architects. Kelly Residence reflecting pool.

8. Photo: Courtesy of Gilday Architects. Fish Creek Residence reflecting pool.

9. Photo: Courtesy of Garret Cord Werner Architects and Interior Design. The Lake Washington Shores Art House.

10. Photo: Courtesy of Dick Clark Architecture. Lake Travis Retreat.

11. Photo: Courtesy of KWK Promes. Aatrial House.

12. Photo: Courtesy of Lewis Aquatech. Reflecting Pool.

13. Photo: Courtesy of Gregory Phillips Architects.

14. Photo: Courtesy of Joakim Kaminsky and Maria Poll. Clear Cut Project.

15. Photo: Courtesy of Joakim Kaminsky and Maria Poll. Clear Cut Project.