London multifamily building to have transparent swimming pool designed by Arup

Residents and visitors of a London apartment block planned for completion in 2017 will be able to swim 10 stories above ground—and see everything below them.

Dezeen reports that Arup designed the suspended, transparent “sky pool” to resemble an aquarium. The firm received advice from structural engineer Eckersley O’Callaghan and aquarium designer Reynolds.

The residential block, located in London’s Nine Elms quarter, is a 2,000-unit development by Ballymore Group, designed by London architect HAL.

“At five meters wide and three meters deep, the pool will allow residents to swim between the two buildings while enjoying views of London through the pool's completely transparent 20-centimetre glass casing,” Dezeen reports.

One of the hardest decisions multifamily developers and their design teams have to make is what mix of amenities they’re going to put into each project. A lot of squiggly factors go into that decision: the type of community, the geographic market, local recreation preferences, climate/weather conditions, physical parameters, and of course the budget. The permutations are mind-boggling.

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