London’s latest swimming pool is surely its most remarkable yet. But sporting a transparent bottom and located between two buildings 35 meters up, it may not be for the faint-hearted.
The so-called “sky pool,” designed by British architecture studio HAL, has been causing quite a stir since its recent opening at the Embassy Gardens residential development in central London.
“There’s no other pool in the world like this one,” HAL says of the 25-meter-long facility, adding, “Life is better when it’s elevated.”
The BBC recently posted some aerial footage showing people enjoying a dip in the newly opened Sky Pool.
Swimmers enjoy warm weather in London at the Sky Pool which is believed to be the world’s first transparent pool built between two skyscrapers
https://t.co/mtRX8qvt0a pic.twitter.com/2skTGK9Jp7
— BBC News (UK) (@BBCNews) June 1, 2021
“I think you need to have a head for heights,” the BBC reporter quipped. “You wouldn’t want to be swimming along there and looking down to the ground below.”
Better to look out across the city, then, where you can enjoy views of the River Thames, the Houses of Parliament, and the London Eye, one of the largest Ferris wheels in the world.
The pool, which holds almost 150,000 liters of water, has a U.S. connection, too, as the clear acrylic from which the Sky Pool is built was manufactured by a firm in Grand Junction, Colorado. Once complete, the pool was transported 1,000 miles by truck to Galveston, Texas, where it was put on a boat and shipped across the Atlantic to its final destination.
Now, if you happen to be in London and fancy taking a dip in the Sky Pool this summer, there’s a major catch: It’s only open to residents of the apartment block.
As an alternative — and this is perfect for those who prefer to swim at ground level — check out this collection of some of the largest pools in the world.
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