London to get 'death defying' 360-degree views infinity pool
Compass pools have unveiled plans for a 55-story building named Infinity London with an infinity pool allowing guests to float 220 metres above the ground – one that is ‘not for the faint of heart.
Now infinity pools have been around for some time. The infinity pool at the Marina Bay Sands in Singapore comes immediately to mind. Considered the world’s longest elevated pool, the 150m long infinity pool is pure indulgence, and offers winning views of the city from 57 storey’s up.
And now, the proposed 600,000 litre pool atop the proposed Infinity London build is set to become an infinitely astounding game-changer. The company says the skyscraper would be the only building in the world to incorporate a 360 - degree infinity pool. 360-degree you say? So how do you get in and out?
Compass Pool’s swimming pool designer and technical director Alex Kemsley commented: “Architects often come to us to design rooftop infinity pools, but rarely do we get a say in the building design because the pool is usually an afterthought. But on this project, we actually started with the pool design and essentially said, ‘how do we put a building underneath this? When we designed the pool, we wanted an uninterrupted view, both above and below the water. We faced some major technical challenges to this building, the biggest one being how to actually get into the pool”.
Kemsley goes on to answer that question “The solution is based on the door of a submarine, coupled with a rotating spiral staircase which rises from the pool floor when someone wants to get in or out – the absolute cutting edge of swimming pool and building design and a little bit James Bond to boot! Swimming in the SkyPool, it’s quite a weird feeling to have helicopters flying past at your level, but this pool takes it a step further.”
Rather than glass, the pool will be made from cast acrylic, which transmits light in a way that will keep the pool perfectly clear, according to the company's website. The high-tech pool will include a built-in anemometer to monitor wind speed. This is then linked to a computer-controlled building management system, which ensures the pool’s temperature - and more importantly - makes sure the wind doesn’t blow the water off the side of the building. Part of the pool's floor will be transparent, so swimmers can peer down from above (and vice versa).
The designers also plan for a five-star hotel to sit underneath the pool in the top stories of the skyscraper and the pool is intended for use by the guests If the plan comes to fruition, designers say the skyscraper could start construction as early as 2020, with the building's location to be confirmed.
Compiled by Hospitality Sri Lanka
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