How, Exactly, Do You Get In This Skyscraper Infinity Pool?

‘Tis the season to take a dip in cool water or lay out with a drink in hand if only for the sole purpose of putting your super cute swimsuit on display. Yes, we’re talking about pool season, which for many, is one of the most anticipated activities during this sweltering time of year.  One place steel-nerved people will be clamoring to go for a swim in the future is this mind-boggling 360-degree pool infinity pool that’s set to be constructed on top of a London skyscraper.

Hailed as the first of its kind, the Compass Pool concept will hold just over 158,000 gallons of water and will be perched on top of the 55-story Infinity London building, allowing visitors to backstroke, float and doggie paddle more than 650 feet above the ground with the entire city as a backdrop.

The photos of the pool certainly look equal parts terrifying and puzzling. The first question that comes to mind is how does one enter and exit the pool? There’s not a platform for diving, tables, laying out or even standing around the edge of the pool to take in the spectacular city views. There is, however, a rotating spiral staircase modeled after the door of a submarine that rises from the pool floor and allows people to come and go as they please.  The pool will be made from cast acrylic, which grants it a crystal clear look that’s perfectly accentuated by its transparent floor.

And the cutting-edge designs don’t stop there. The Compass pool’s built-in wind speed monitor will be operated from a computer-controlled system that maintains the temperature of the water and also prevents any from being blown off the surface and down to the ground. Keeping sustainability in mind, the designers also plan to recycle energy from the building’s air conditioning system to heat the pool water.

“Architects often come to us to design roof top infinity pools, but rarely do we get a say in the building design because the pool is usually an afterthought,” said Compass Pool’s designer and technical director Alex Kemsley.

“But on this project, we actually started with the pool design and essentially said, ‘how do we put a building underneath this?’”

The exact location of Infinity London hasn’t been confirmed yet, but construction could get underway as soon as 2020.