The world’s first 360-degree rooftop infinity pool is set to shimmer atop a 55-story skyscraper in London, featuring transparent acrylic walls on all sides. Since acrylic transmits light at a similar wavelength as water, it will make the water appear crystal clear, so swimmers feel like they’re merging with the sky, high above the city streets. The pool itself is pretty awesome, but its most interesting feature is its unusual means of entering and exiting.

UK-based manufacturer Compass Pools want the pool to appear seamless from every direction, which means the perimeter can’t be interrupted by a staircase. The floor of the pool is also transparent so visitors to the five-star hotel directly below can gaze up at the sky through the water. Their solution? A rotating spiral staircase that comes up through the floor on demand.

“We faced some quite major technical challenges to this building, the biggest one being how to actually get into the pool,” says designer and technical director Alex Kemsley. “Normally a simple ladder would suffice, but we didn’t want stairs on the outside of the building or in the pool as it would spoil the view – and obviously you don’t want 600,000 liters of water draining through the building either. The solution is based on the door of a submarine, coupled with a rotating spiral staircase which rises from the pool floor when someone wants to get in or out – the absolute cutting edge of swimming pool and building design and a little bit James Bond to boot!”

“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. But on this project, we actually started with the pool design and essentially said, ‘how do we put a building underneath this?’ When we designed the pool, we wanted an uninterrupted view, both above and below the water.”

“Swimming in the SkyPool at the Shard, it’s quite a weird feeling to have helicopters flying past at your level, but this pool takes it a step further. Pop your goggles on and with a 360-degree view of London from 220m up, it really will be something else – but it’s definitely not one for the acrophobic!”

The pool will be heated using waste energy from the building’s air conditioning system, and will also feature a computer-controlled building management system to keep track of water levels and temperatures, while a built-in anemometer monitors wind speeds.

The building is called “Infinity London,” and once partners and contractors are confirmed, it’s set to begin construction in 2020.

The edges of these pools seem to just drop off into space, threatening to whisk swimmers off a cliff, into the sea or over the edge of a skyscraper. Infinity pools, also known as zero-edge pools, use glass walls or waterfall-like overspill troughs to achieve this sometimes vertigo-inducing effect. These 15 particularly scenic infinity pools will have you daydreaming about booking summer vacations.

Cliff-Hanging Home with Cantilevered Pool

(images via: marc gerritsen)

Talk about dream houses – this jaw-dropping ultramodern residence in Thailand not only perches on the edge of a cliff overlooking the ocean, it’s got a shimmering cantilevered infinity pool that seems like it extends out forever into the sea. Designed by Original Vision, the home features stacked levels that lift the living spaces high above the tree level, providing the best views possible.

Ubud Hanging Gardens Hotel, Bali

(images via: freshome)

Swimming pools don’t get much more scenic than this. The Ubud Hanging Gardens Hotel in Bali has a towering, multi-leveled infinity pool that looks like a natural cliffside and was in fact designed to mimic the surrounding hills. In addition to the two main pools, each of the 38 guest rooms at Ubud has its own mini infinity pool with views of the nearby Pura Penataran Dalem Segara temple.

Hill House with Amazing Edgeless Pool

(images via: malik architecture)

With views of both the sea and the city of Mumbai and a stunning wrap-around rooftop-deck infinity pool, this unusual geometric house design has it all. While the exterior of the house is a bit eclectic to say the least, the pool more than makes up for it. Lifting the pool above ground level must give the sense of swimming in the sky, especially given the house’s location on top of a hill.

Jade Mountain, St. Lucia

(images via: jademountain.com)

Another tempting resort with an infinity pool for each room is Jade Mountain in St. Lucia, where the views are almost too gorgeous to be believed. The pools are referred to as ‘sanctuaries’ and are classified as ‘stars’, ‘moons’, ‘suns’ and ‘galaxies’ according to size. A night experiencing one of these pools for yourself will range between $950 and $2,700.

Villa Mayavee, Phuket, Thailand

(images via: inspire first)

A private modern residence in Phuket, Thailand, Villa Mayavee has a beautiful slatted wood exterior and lots of glass for looking out at those enviable views of the ocean, but more importantly, check out that pool! Situated between floors, the large infinity pool seems to spill out of the house itself.

Hotel Caruso, Ravello, Italy

(images via: citalia.com)

Renowned for its spectacular rocky cliffs overlooking the sparkling Mediterranean Sea, Italy’s Amalfi Coast is one of the most beautiful places in the world. At Hotel Caruso in Ravello, guests can enjoy these views from a heated infinity pool on a clifftop 1,000 feet above sea level. The modern pool is a stunning contrast beside the historic 11th century hotel, a former palazzo.

Astarte Suites, Santorini

(images via: freshome)

What better way to contemplate the natural beauty of Santorini than from a sparkling pool with cliffside views? The Greek island’s Astarte Suites mimics the blue of the ocean and the rocky landscape with its pools and stone pillars.

Langham Place Miora Resort & Spa, Phuket

(images via: phuket-miora.langhamplacehotels.com)

One of Thailand’s prettiest pools is at Langham Place Miora Resort & Spa, located in Phuket. Overlooking the ocean as these resorts typically do, the pool wraps around the exterior of the resort – on the second floor. Each of the 78 designer villas also has its own private plunge pool with retractible floating dining tables.

Huvafen Fushi, Maldives

(images via: only exclusive travel)

Studded with submerged lights and extending out right over a private lagoon in the Indian Ocean, the Huvafen Fushi Resort’s zero-edge pool is a fantasy swimming experience. Just like many of these other high-dollar resorts, Huvafen Fushi’s 43 private bungalows each have their own smaller pool, as well. The resort also has an incredible underwater spa with glass walls that give relaxed patrons dreamy views of passing marine life.

Hemeroscopium House Rooftop Infinity Pool

(images via: home-designing)

Few homeowners can boast not only of a conventional in-ground swimming pool, but also a rooftop infinity pool that cantilevers out over the grass. Hemeroscopium House by Ensamble Studios is a prefabricated concrete house built from three huge I-beams, two segments of an irrigation canal and two steel girders for a highly unusual look. It took just a week to assemble.

Intercontinental Hotel, Hong Kong

(images via: intercontinental hotel, designsxtra)

And now for something completely different: an infinity pool that overlooks not some tropical paradise, but the bustling urban metropolis of Hong Kong – from a third-floor deck. This glass-walled pool still has the feel of a luxury vacation, of course, not just because of the pool itself and the hotel’s many amenities but because of the stretch of water that separates the hotel from the city.

Hotel Joule, Texas

(images via: urban fabric, lost at e minor)

Swim out to the glass end wall of the cantilevered rooftop pool at the 10-story Hotel Joule and you’ll feel like you’re about to spill out into the streets of downtown Dallas, Texas. The pool juts out eight feet beyond the exterior walls of the hotel, enhancing the experience.

Manava Suite Resort, Polynesia

(images via: tripadvisor, lax magazine)

The sound of waves hitting the sand? Check. The sound of a waterfall just below you, as the infinity pool you’re relaxing in spills over into a decorative fountain basin? Check. All the incredible sights of tropical Tahiti? Check, check, check. If you’re lucky enough to stay in a place like this, even for a night, you’re lucky enough.

Marina Bay Sands Hotel, Singapore

(images via: swag like me, kiwi collection)

From WebEcoist: “When most people envision a pool with an incredibly scenic view, they most likely think of tropical beaches, not skyscrapers – yet there’s no denying that the scenery at the Marina Bay Sands Hotel pool is absolutely breathtaking. Not only is this nearly 500-foot-long pool set into a rooftop skypark, 679 feet above the ground, but it’s an infinity pool, giving swimmers the feeling that they could swim right off the edge of the building. The pool looks out onto one of the world’s most modern cities, which is brilliantly illuminated once the sun goes down.”

Natural Infinity Pools of Pamukkale, Turkey

(images via: dreaming traveller)

As if man-made infinity pools weren’t cool enough, there are also natural edgeless pools that will take your breath away with their beauty. Perhaps the most stunning example is the cliffside hot springs of Pamukkale, Turkey, where falling mineral water rich in calcium has carved basins and stalactites into the rock and turned the entire area snow-white. Visitors are no longer allowed to swim in the pools, as the site is now a protected UNESCO World Heritage Site.