In London they have inaugurated a very particular pool, which is believed to be the first floating pool between two buildings. At 15 meters long and 35 meters high, the Sky Pool is a pool to be admired.

The Sky Pool was designed by HAL Architects and is a project that has been years in the making. It is located in London (in London they are fans of spectacular pools), specifically between two of the Embassy Gardens buildings. Embassy Gardens is a mixed-use area (residences and offices) near the U.S. Embassy in London.

Going into more technical details of the pool, we are dealing with a suspended pool at a height of 35 meters above the surface. It is held in the air attached to two apartment buildings and its length is 15 meters (25 meters adding the “entrances” in both buildings). Inside? No more and no less than 148,000 liters of water, plus the people who are swimming at any given moment.

The pool is made of a single piece of acrylic that achieves a thickness of 35 centimeters. This piece is wedged between the two buildings and secured by a steel frame that is located at the corners of the pool. The pool has to support, in addition to the weight of the water and the people, the wind loads and the swaying of the buildings.

How does the pool not fragment due to these movements? Apparently, the pool is not rigidly coupled to the building, but leaves a safety space – thanks to this the pool remains stable if the building moves. This is similar to bridges, which are not 100% rigidly coupled.

As a final detail, even building and assembling it has been a technical challenge. The pool was manufactured in Colorado, USA. From there it was transported to Texas by road and then crossed the Atlantic Ocean by ship to the Netherlands. From the Netherlands it took another boat to London and up the river Thames. Finally it was transported in a huge truck, closing streets and traffic lights in order to be transported. A 750-ton crane was in charge of placing it on top of the buildings.


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