2026 PHTA Silver · Geometric

A geometric pool in dark water and stone: 2026 PHTA Silver

A dark rectangular pool and a stacked-stone water wall, honored with PHTA Silver.

Aerial view of the 2026 PHTA Silver-winning geometric pool by Morris Pools: a long black-bottom pool between a white modern pavilion and pergola, a stacked-stone water wall and a desert mountain behind — Photo: Ethan Cooper Photography

PHTA 2026 International Awards of Excellence Silver medal — Photo: Ethan Cooper Photography

Award: Silver · 2026 PHTA International Awards of Excellence
Category: Geometric
Published: AQUA Magazine, October 2026, p. 62
PHTA listing: 2026 Geometric winners on phta.org (PHTA, opens in a new tab) ↗
Design & build: Morris Pools

Restraint is the hardest thing to build. This geometric pool earned Morris Pools Silver in the Geometric category of the 2026 PHTA International Awards of Excellence, published in AQUA Magazine’s October 2026 issue.

The design

As published, a dark rectangular pool sits in front of a stacked-stone water wall with a scupper, composed with a covered patio, palms and a mountain view. The dark interior turns the water into a mirror for the sky and the stone, and the single water feature gives the composition sound and movement without breaking its lines.

Looking through a white pergola down the length of the dark geometric pool to a stacked-stone wall with scuppers at dusk — Through the pergola to the stacked-stone water wall. Photo: Ethan Cooper Photography

Through the pergola to the stacked-stone water wall. Photo: Ethan Cooper Photography

Courtyard reflecting pools with bubblers beside the floor-to-ceiling glass walls of a modern white home — Courtyard reflecting pools beside walls of glass. Photo: Ethan Cooper Photography

Courtyard reflecting pools beside walls of glass. Photo: Ethan Cooper Photography

What geometric pools demand

Straight lines and right angles show every error. A geometric pool needs a dead-level bond beam, tile set to laser-checked elevations and water features whose flow is calculated before excavation, so a sheet of water falls cleanly and the waterline reads as one line. It is the discipline behind four PHTA awards for geometric pool design in Arizona: Bronze twice in 2024, Bronze in 2025 and this Silver in 2026.

Equipment

As published by AQUA:

AutomationHayward
CirculationHayward
SanitizerIPS Controllers
Start-up chemicalsOrenda Technologies

Considering a geometric design? See our Phoenix page for mid-century and modern homes, or our pool remodeling page for updating an existing pool’s lines.

Case studies