A resort-scale freeform pool: 2026 PHTA Gold

Award

Gold · 2026 PHTA International Awards of Excellence

Category

Freeform

Published

AQUA Magazine, October 2026, p. 66

PHTA listing

2026 Freeform winners on phta.org (PHTA, opens in a new tab) ↗

Design & build

Morris Pools

Signature features

Island spa, twin bridges, lazy river, two hidden slides, grotto fire feature, fiber-optic stars

Some backyards are designed for an afternoon swim. This one was designed as a destination: in AQUA Magazine’s words, “a resort-scale residential water program built for daily entertainment, family gathering and continuous use.” It earned Morris Pools Gold in the Freeform category of the 2026 PHTA International Awards of Excellence.

The design

A freeform pool wraps a circular island finished in flagstone, which anchors an all-tile spa. Twin wrought-iron arched bridges connect the island to the surrounding deck. A continuous lazy river encircles the island, two more river runs carry current and motion through the body of the pool, and a wet-deck lounging shelf for submerged seating sits directly off the main deck. Naturalistic boulder construction conceals two integrated water slides, and custom fiber-optic stars are set into the pool and spa floor.

The challenge

Scale was the challenge. The rockwork had to read as one continuous, natural-stack waterfall while concealing both water slides, the plumbing for the falls and the upper grotto’s fire feature. Boulder selection, placement and structural reinforcement were coordinated so the visible stone never gives away the engineered geometry underneath. Behind the scenes, a total of 35 horsepower is dedicated to the water features alone.

“When it comes to luxury, this pool is an undeniable winner.”AQUA Magazine, October 2026, p. 66

Equipment and materials

As published by AQUA:

• AutomationThe Attendant by Poolside Tech
• CirculationHayward
• CleanerParamount
• DeckFlagstone
• Fire featureFire by Design
• LightingHayward, PAL Lighting, fiber-optic stars
• Interior finishWet Edge
• SanitizerIPS Controllers
• Start-up chemicalsOrenda Technologies
• Tile & copingPorcelain tile

See more

The full write-up appears in AQUA Magazine, October 2026 (p. 66). Watch the project reel on Instagram (opens in a new tab), or see how we approach rockwork, water features and lighting on our services page. Planning something on this scale? Our pool Q&A explains how a custom build comes together.