After much speculation and anticipation, Sky Pool, a 15-meter transparent swimming pool stretching between two buildings at ten storeys up, opened to the public, delivering on the promise to give people “a swim like no other”.

A daring architectural feat by HAL Architects, who initially conceived the project as a swimmable aqueduct, Sky Pool is affiliated with Embassy Gardens, a residential development opposite the US Embassy in London. Its crystal-clear acrylic basin gives swimmers an unparalleled, breathtaking view of the city, of the street below and the sky above. “It’s the transparency, the lightness of touch and the fact that it’s straddling two buildings that makes it unique — and it captures the imagination,” says the architecture studio. 

Simplicity being the key factor in the design of the pool, the team passed on the earlier studies using steel and glass in favour of acrylic panels, thick ones used in building large aquarium tanks. The material allows a minimal distortion of light, rendering it more transparent. Don’t grab your bathing suits just yet though: use of the Sky Pool and its other amenities – spa, gym, private cinema and co-working spaces – are currently only available to Embassy Gardens residents. The project has faced some controversy concerning the pool’s non-access to the affordable housing residents within the development. 

Visit HAL Architects’ Instagram for more, and take a tour of some of the most beautiful pools around the world.

Photography © Simon Kennedy for HAL Architects (via)