The World’s First 360-Degree Infinity Pool Is Proposed to Tower Above London

Adrenaline junkies enter the pool through an underground spiral staircase that’s worthy of James Bond.
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UK–based pool manufacturer Compass Pools has developed Infinity London, the world’s first building with a 360-degree infinity pool. Entirely made of cast acrylic, the 600,000-liter pool would cap a 55-story building, allowing swimmers a clear view of the city skyline, as well as the five-star hotel underneath.

Compass Pools’s proposal for Infinity London includes a five-star hotel on the top floors, and a thrilling, 360-degree infinity pool 55 stories up.

Compass Pools’s proposal for Infinity London includes a five-star hotel on the top floors, and a thrilling, 360-degree infinity pool 55 stories up.

Figuring out how guests would enter and exit the pool was, naturally, the major obstacle. Says technical director and designer Alex Kemsley, "Normally, a simple ladder would suffice, but we didn’t want stairs on the outside of the building or in the pool, as it would spoil the view—and obviously, you don’t want 600,000 liters of water draining through the building either."

Lights will illuminate the pool at night.

Lights will illuminate the pool at night.

The walls and floor of the pool will be made from cast acrylic, which transmits light similarly to water.

The walls and floor of the pool will be made from cast acrylic, which transmits light similarly to water.

The solution recalls something out of a spy movie—based on the design of a submarine door, a rotating spiral staircase rises from the floor of the pool to create a portal.

Hotel guests will be able to peer up at swimmers above.

Hotel guests will be able to peer up at swimmers above.

A built-in anemometer will also monitor wind speeds, ensuring a comfortable temperature and preventing water from being sloshed onto the streets of London. Waste energy from the building’s air conditioning system will be reused to heat the pool.

Though partners and contractors have not yet been confirmed, construction on Infinity London could begin as early as 2020.

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Jenny Xie
Dwell Contributor
Jenny Xie is the author of the novel Holding Pattern, a National Book Foundation 5 Under 35 Honoree. She’s received fellowships from Bread Loaf, Yaddo, and MacDowell, among other organizations.

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