This skyscraper will have the world’s first 360-degree infinity pool on top

Infinity pools have long been the crown jewels of bathing options. They come with a guarantee that you’ll get a gorgeous view — perhaps a city skyline or ocean as far as the eye can see.

What if one infinity edge doesn’t quite cut it for you? Perhaps you’d prefer all four sides of the pool offer you picture-perfect views into the horizon? One inventive company in the U.K. thinks it’s possible. Compass Pools has plans to create the world’s first 360-degree infinity pool right on the top of a modern skyscraper in London.

Construction isn’t set to begin until next year, if contractors and partners sign on. Compass Pools is in talks with various partners to make it happen.

And the structure’s exact location has not been confirmed — but this incredible infinity pool will be worth waiting for.

Top Of The World

The 600,000-liter pool will serve as the cherry on a five-star hotel topping a 55-story luxury skyscraper called Infinity London. There will be absolutely nothing obstructing your 220-meter-high bird’s-eye view from the waters in any direction.

The designers at Compass Pools claim the concept is a world first, describing the structure as “the only building in the world to incorporate a 360-degree infinity pool.”

Here’s a video posted to YouTube by the company’s technical director, Alex Kemsley:

https://youtu.be/UgCIb8ONfMg

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An Engineering Marvel

Designing the sky-high pool will be no easy feat. According to Compass Pools’ website, the entire pool will be made of cast acrylic so the sides and floors will be transparent. In fact, this material transmits light at a similar wavelength to water so that the pool will look perfectly clear. Visitors below will be able to see swimmers splashing around above them. The pool will look like a “jewel-topped torch” at night, thanks to a full spectrum of lights.

To maintain the truly 360-degree views, swimmers will access the 1.4-meter-deep pool right through the middle, rather than using a ladder. There will be a spiral staircase that rotates and rises through the water to let people in and out.

In an interview on the company’s website, Kemsley says, “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!”

Environmentally Friendly Technology

That’s not all in terms of high tech gadgets hiding inside the pool. The pool will also feature a built-in anemometer to monitor wind speed. The anemometer will connect to a computer-controlled building management system to regulate the pool’s temperature and control water levels. It reduces the amount of water flow when windspeed is high or if there’s an emergency, for example. This ensures water doesn’t spill onto the streets below.

Additionally, water will be heated using waste energy from the building’s air conditioning system.

What People Really Want To Know

In the video above, Kemsley answered questions that he has been getting about the concept, which he called his “pet project,” in progress since 2017. Among these questions: Is he worried about birds using the pool as a pitstop? And will people in the infinity pool be able to splash passersby on the ground below?

He says the pool has less risk of birds pooping in it than something at ground level, especially those located near oceans, so this isn’t something that worries him.

“In case a pigoen does poo in it, you have automatic dosing systems that monitor the chemical levels and chlorine would kill the bacteria from any pigeon poo,” he said.

As for splashers: the building is tapered, “a little bit like a pyramid,” he said, so any water tossed out by swimmers would just hit windows on the way down. And since the pool water levels are regulated, there’s no concern about too much or too little water in the pool.

What about safety? Those concerns have all been taken into account, too. The floor below is a “wet floor,” after which water can go through a drainage system right down into the street, so there’s no flooding risk. Someone will be in the pool, controlling the stairway. Underwater cameras also can detect if someone is in danger and trigger the staircase to come out.

As for falling off, Kemsley says there’s no more risk than on any floor of any high-rise building.

“A lot of thought went into the safety side of things here,” said the pool designer.

All this adds up to a pool that will really make a splash! We can’t wait to see the real thing.