Drowning in Absurdity

The design for "Infinity London," spotted at CNN and released on Compass Pools' own website, would put 600,000 liters (158,500 gallons) of water within an acrylic enclosure atop a 55-story tower. With its footprint extending to the edges of the tower to enable the 360-degree views of London, the pool would be accessed via a submarine-like hatch, in which a spiraling staircase would extend up into the pool as needed. If that weren't enough, a second rendering depicts the central portion of the pool hovering over the light well of what would be a five-story hotel beneath the pool.

While Compass Pools' press release indicates that technical features have been considered — heating the pool with waste energy from the air condition system, for instance, and using a computer-controlled building management system "to ensure the pool stays at the right temperature and water doesn’t get blown down to the streets below" — and boasts that "Infinity London could kick off construction as early as 2020 if all the partners and contractors are confirmed," it ends with the important fact that the project's "exact location is yet to be confirmed." So what looks like an absurd concept for pampering the super-rich in one of the most expensive cities in the world might just remain that: a concept.