At the risk of sounding like Captain Obvious, when you're in the pool industry, you see a lot of pools. Here at AQUA, we're regularly impressed and dazzled by the creative ingenuity found in the projects we come across. That said…once in a great while we come across a design that leaves us scratching our heads.
Case in point: this 360-degree vanishing edge pool. Designed by UK-based pool manufacturer Compass Pools, the proposed 158,503-gallon pool, named Infinity London, would sit atop a 55-story building overlooking the London skyline. All sides would be made of transparent acrylic, including the bottom, so those in the building below can observe the rooftop swimmers.
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The project recently went viral on the internet, largely because of one question: How the heck do you get in and out of it?
Without a ladder — which, as Compass Pools technical director Alex Kemsley points out, would interrupt the remarkable views — the pool has an entry/egress system that can be described as unusual, to say the least.
"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!" Kemsley says.
Whether the project will come to fruition is questionable, as a site for the building/pool has yet to be identified and the team is working on securing partners and contractors. If all goes well, construction could begin as soon as 2020.
