Roundles: Modern Pool House Made of Local Limestone is a Peaceful Addition to a Country Cottage

Nestled into a sleepy piece of land in Surrey, England, this modern pool house provides an interesting contrast to the country cottage it complements. Called Roundles, the pool house is decidedly more up to date in terms of appearance than the main estate, and also has some notable sustainable features such as an air source heat pump and the use of local materials. Photographer <a href="http://www.loganphotography.co.uk/">Logan MacDougall Pope</a>, an Inhabitat favorite, recently sent us his lovely stills of this nature-bound building by <a href="http://www.h2design.org/">h2architecture</a>. Click through our gallery to see them all and hit the jump to see his video of this idyllic retreat.

The pool house's design is decidedly minimalist with a muted, natural color palette evocative of the landscape that envelops it.

The fin walls are constructed from a local limestone which can also be found at the base of the old farmhouse.

For the garage elements and the shower room enclosure, cedar lends a bit of warmth.

Guests will be delighted to see that the entire front of the home is a glass wall that opens directly up to the pool and the structure's roof is also glass with protected by a slatted timber canopy.

Long slotted windows in the space draw sunlight in from the south and allows for magnificent views of the surrounding fields.

Previously, the property relied on oil-fired water for its heating, but the system was recently revamped.

The architects considered several alternative heating systems including bio-mass and ground source and finally decided on an <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Air_source_heat_pumps">air source heat pump</a>. The pump unit provides heat for the swimming pool as well as the pool house.

While a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_roof">green roof</a> has not yet been implemented, the roof was specifically designed to accept planting, and the architect has proposed cutting sods from the adjoining field and growing them atop the pool house to blur the distinction between the built form and the surrounding landscape - an idea that we certainly hope comes to fruition!