We fell in love with the concept of the extreme sky pool at the proposed Embassy gardens development in London’s Southbank – suspended 25 metres above the ground and spanning two buildings.
Accessed via a rotating spiral staircase – like that on a submarine door - the pool may just become the most Instagrammable hot spot in the city of London – boasting a 360-degree view of the city. Built from cast acrylic – which is lighter than glass and will seem to disappear from sight around the 600,000 litres of water, in this case, the pool concept and design came first, the building afterwards.
“We actually started with the pool design and essentially said “how do we put a building underneath this?” said pool designer and technical director Alex Kemsley, who’s more accustomed to architects approaching things in the reverse order – with the pool an addition to a building design.
The pool will be heated by an energy-efficient system that will use waste energy from the building’s air conditioning system and the design proposes a clear floor, so swimmers and budding mermaids will be able to wave to an audience beneath them.
Whilst the HB team is divided, begging practical questions of safety and cleaning, many are still prepared to add a dip into the world’s first rooftop infinity pool to our "Must visit swimming pools of the world" bucket list. Are you?
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