The owners and managers of The Archer Apartments, a renovated warehouse apartment complex in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, set aside funds for the potential construction of a new pool, associated terraces, and accessible circulation. The project is conceptually simple, a swimming pool for tenants and visitors placed upon the roof, a flat area surrounding it, and a foot path that leads to it from the existing rooftop elevator.

In order to realize the pool, our team of architects, engineers, and pool specialists gathered data about the building, analyzed, and compared it. In broad strokes, this process consisted of the structural and mechanical capacity of the current building; the site analysis for potential placement of pool and terrace, including access, context, and views; and the size, shape, and technical requirements for the pool itself.

We modeled the site three-dimensionally, and provided two alternate designs for the terraces and pool. The first was entitled the “Economy” solution, and the second the “Landmark” solution. For the latter, we drew from the strong forms of the concrete columns with mushroom capitals in the original warehouse, and related this form to new Egyptian columns at the edge of the pool. These columns hold aloft cornices with scuppers projecting water upon the pool. The Egyptian theme is carried through the rest of the project with permanent natural materials, subtle motifs, colors, and textures.