Gazing up at the Sky Pool, you might wonder if you are dreaming. It is a swimming pool suspended 35 meters above ground. That is about ten stories high. The Sky Pool connects two apartment buildings in London’s Embassy Gardens.
The Sky Pool is the world’s first floating swimming pool. It bridges a gap between two high-rise buildings. Imagine swimming between buildings. It opened in May 2021. However, not everyone can access this architectural marvel. The Sky Pool is only for residents and their guests.
EcoWorld Ballymore built the Sky Pool. They wanted an outdoor pool for residents. However, there wasn’t enough space. So, they created a floating pool.
The pool is 25 meters long. The middle section is 14 meters long and suspended. The roof area was not large enough to accommodate a pool. So, the floating pool was developed. The suspended design preserves its large size. It doesn’t lose floor space on the building’s roof. Steps and filtration systems are at either end.
Architectural Digest calls it the world’s largest single piece of load-bearing acrylic. The acrylic frame weighs 50 tonnes. It is 200 millimeters thick with a 300-millimeter-thick base. It is nearly 3 meters deep. The pool rests on an invisible steel frame.
Reynolds Polymer, Inc. fabricated the structure in Colorado. It shipped from Texas. The journey took three weeks. Eckersley O’Callaghan and HAL Architects designed it.
The opening ceremony was quite the spectacle. Broadcaster Roman Kemp hosted it. Aquabatix performed a synchronized swimming show.
Oliver Wainwright described the Sky Pool as a miraculous world first. He called it a liquid blue block suspended against the sky. He felt it had the gravity-defying quality of a René Magritte painting. Jessica Cherner wrote that the pool appears like a rectangular glass box floating in mid-air.
The Sky Pool is a symbol of luxury. Some critics say it highlights economic inequality. It secures an ultra-elite experience. It exists during an affordable-housing crisis.
The urban studies academic Rowland Atkinson described it as a cyclopean wet lens. He felt that the rooftop garden emphatically expresses the occupation of the city by a global capitalist class.
Night swimmers enjoy views of the Houses of Parliament. They also see the London Eye and the Thames.
So, while you might not swim in the Sky Pool, admire it. It pushes the boundaries of construction and engineering. It brings the future of design to the present. The Sky Pool remains an iconic structure in London.