Pools on rooftops may have gained enormous popularity as they give pollution-free dips and breathtaking scenes of the surroundings, but a more daring one, and definitely not for the faint of heart, is on its way to completion. Dubbed as "first of its kind in the world," the Sky Pool will be suspended between two 10-storey high apartment buildings in the Embassy Garden.
The swimming pool will be 82 feet long, 16.4 feet wide, and almost 10 feet deep. As it is modelled after an aquarium, it will be enclosed in an 8-inch thick transparent glass which will give its swimmers a clear view of London streets, 115 feet way down below. The pool will be located beside the new U.S. Embassy office in the United Kingdom.
The pool will allow residents of the center piece of Nine Elms' development area to swim between the two luxury apartment buildings, topped with a spa, orangery, sky decks with a bar, and a majestic view of the Palace of Westminster.
The property's developer, Ballymore, assures that the pool has been granted planning permission, despite its dauntless appearance and location. Like its renderings, the pool will be completely see-through and structure free. Swimming in it will be quite an experience.
The pool was designed by Arup Associates, an engineering firm, with advice from specialists such as aquarium designers Reynolds and marine design engineers Eckersley O' Callaghan.
Sean Mulryan, Chairman and CEO of Ballymore, said, "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." He added that, "The experience of the pool will be truly unique, it will feel like floating through the air in central London."
The addition of this amenity has reportedly been the result of the involvement of EcoWorld, a Malaysian property investment company, which owns 75 percent of the plan.
However, not everyone may get the chance to float up in the air as the cost of units in the Embassy Gardens are from £602,000 (USD$944,000) and up. It is expected to be completed in 2017.
