Infinity swimming pools are all the rage in Bangkok, but a swimming pool in London is set to raise the stakes. The Guardian reported this new style of pool will be part of the Embassy Gardens development at Nine Elms, a GBP15 billion building project in south-west London at the old Battersea power station site.
The 25-metre swimming pool will be suspended between two apartment towers, ten-storeys up making it look as if it is being suspended in thin air. Developers Ballymore are calling it a sky pool, and told the newspaper it will be the first of its kind in the world. Swimmers will be able to look down 35 metres to see the ground below them will they frolic in the pool.
The developers added that they have been granted planning permission and that the pool will be entirely transparent and structure free. The design has been done by Arup Associates, with specialist input from aquarium designers Reynolds, The Guardian noted.
“My vision for the sky pool stemmed from a desire to push the boundaries in the capability of construction and engineering, I wanted to do something that had never been done before,” Sean Mulryan, Ballymore’s chairman and CEO, said. “The experience of the pool will be truly unique, it will feel like floating through the air in central London.”
The pool area at the condo will also feature a sky deck where there will be a spa, summer bar and views of the Houses of Parliament and other London landmarks. Units in the development are going for GBP602,000.
Not everyone is impressed by the sky pool, however. Henry Pryor, a buying agent for wealthy clients, said he thought the plans for the pool were crazy and don’t think it is a strong selling point for the condo.
“It’s not easy to say for sure what the extras like pools, tennis courts and home cinemas add to a home, but for the first time I can honestly say that whilst my admiration for the architect is close to reverence this absurd addition must surely be the biggest mistake I have ever come across,” he explained The Guardian.
