One of the first things we talked about was incorporating a sculpture by the modern abstract artist, Buy Dill, who had created a concrete and steel piece they'd placed in another of their homes. During the construction process, Dill suggested that the piece would work better in this setting if redone in marble and stainless steel.
   I suggested placing this sculpture over a functional swimming pool that would effectively double as a reflecting pool, an idea that immediately appealed to the clients. They also showed me a photograph of a kinetic sculpture by artist Bruce Stillman - another piece they wanted to put on display outdoors.
   Through the stretch of the process, I became acquainted with the remarkable art collection they had on display inside the home, including pieces by Andy Warhol and other prominent modern artists. With this piece of the puzzle fallen into place, the basic design began to come together.

setting a course
   It had taken us months of ongoing discussions to get to the point at which I finally presented the clients with a program for their exterior spaces. I had settled on the thought that the exteriors should act as a functional extension of the art-centered interior spaces and would serve as a setting for artwork - a sort of outdoor gallery.
   From that point on, all decisions were driven by a perceived need to support the artwork and increase the functionality of the yard.
   But there was a challenge here: While the artwork to be displayed all had a distinctly modern look and feel, the home itself was basically a traditional Cape Cod in style. going with a sleek, minimal exterior design would harmonize with the artwork but conflict with the house. By the same token, had we headed toward a classic design for the pool, the artwork would have seemed out of place.
   This concern over direction evaporated as I became more familiar with the scope and nature of their art collection. It was so dominant inside, and the art slated for use outdoors was so striking that a scheme featuring an ultra-contemporary watershape and landscape design coordinated with views from inside the home emerged as the best visual solution.
   The program now included a watershape that would serve as a reflecting pool while being fully functional for use by the clients' grandchildren and their dogs. It was to work with Dill's striking sculpture, and the plantings were to provide medium-green, neatly uniform backdrops for the artwork - like an art gallery's walls.
   When we arrived, the existing yard was about 180 degrees from that direction: The space was dominated by a humdrum swimming pool. and there were raised planters for two big trees - one a Japanese maple, the other a sycamore. Both were mature and quite lovely, but the planters sliced off a third of the backyard space and established a grade that flooded toward the back and was killing a ficus hedge that lined the back of the property.
   The pool had to be demolished and the space entirely re-graded while keeping the existing grade around the trees. To accommodate the trees, we built a raised wooden deck that masked the fact that the trees had been planted on different grades from each other and the rest of the yard. The deck would also serve to extend the usable space in the yard and provide a comfortable spot shaded by the trees and overlooking the pool.

unusual details
   The yard wasn't quite square across the back line of the property, so while the pool appears to be rectangular, it is actually a rhomboid offset at one end by about 18 inches. The pool is 33 feet long by roughly 17 feet wide and between 3-1/2 and 7-1/2 feet deep. A set of broad steps extends the full width of the pool on the side adjacent to the deck (which helps them visually disappear under the water), while a pedestal supporting the Dill sculpture is located inside the pool along the far wall.