If you don’t have access to your own private rooftop paradise, you can at least dream about it during the hottest months of the year with the help of this collection of dreamy swimming pools and lush gardens. Rooftop bathtubs, infinity pools overlooking some of the world’s most glamorous cities and elevated lawns offer respite from the heat and access to fresh air, even in densely populated urban areas.

Beach House Extension in Peru

This stepped home on a hillside overlooking the bay of Ancón in Lima, Peru features a rooftop infinity pool that seems to extend right out into the sea. Architect Adriá Noboa added to and renovated the existing home, built in 1958 by Swiss architect Theodor Cron, whose work in Peru is considered historically valuable.

Tel Aviv Townhouse Pool, Israel

Another apartment terrace swimming pool in an urban area sits atop a six-level townhouse in Tel Aviv. Architect Pitsou Kedem placed the lap pool at the edge of the rooftop terrace alongside a lounge area. The pool feels open to the city when you’re enjoying it, yet remains private from ground level.

Rooftop Bathtub and Shower, Portugal

Enjoying a relaxing bath while staring up at the sky from your own private rooftop in Lisbon definitely isn’t too shabby. José Adrião Architects added this unusual feature to the all-white rooftop terrace of a home with a view of the historical city.

The Wall House, Singapore

There’s no house in the world quite like this one, designed for a client in Singapore who wanted two distinct yet connected homes for various generations of his family while maintaining lots of privacy and outdoor recreation space. FARM architects created a multi-level plan with a lower-level courtyard connecting both residences while the lushly planted rooftop levels are private, each with their own swimming pool.

Apartment Pool Overlooking Madrid, Spain

A terrace sticks out of the side of this top floor apartment in the heart of Madrid, its kidney-shaped swimming pool nearly at roof level on one of the city’s tallest buildings. I! Arquitectura wanted to bring the ‘countryside’ to a city setting, with all the perks of living in the suburbs. That deck could only be better if the pool went right up to the edge, allowing you to take in the views while swimming.

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Residential Rooftop Dreams 13 Top Level Terraces Pools

A cramped, stale and long-neglected 400-square-foot studio apartment in Hong Kong feels downright luxurious with the addition of a rooftop terrace and some pretty cool space-saving features. Design firm Liquid Interiors maximized the space, which is essentially one big room with a combination bedroom/living room, by hiding many features behind sliding doors to keep clutter to a minimum. But their smartest innovation is upstairs, where a pair of wooden deck chairs fold flat into the floor when not in use.

The terrace serves ash an outdoor exercise and meditation space, complete with a full-sized canony bed on a wooden platform, a minimalist stone table and a projector screen for watching movies outdoors when the weather is cooperative. The deck chairs pop up when the residents want to lounge in the sun, and blend into the wooden decking when more floor space is desired. A green wall adds a splash of color and helps capture some of the heat. Two iron safes used as bedside tables match the iron door that leads back into the apartment.

The architects wanted to “create a sanctuary right in the middle of Central” for the owner, who’s a pilot and and often sleeps at odd hours. With the need to block out daylight in mind, they integrated double-glazed, sound-insulating windows, 100% blackout blinds and a smart circadian lighting system for minimal disruption to the biological sleep cycle.

In the kitchen, the skin, refrigerator and all tableware and implements are hidden behind stainless steel cabinet doors, while the table in the center packs in multiple functions including cooktop, dining table and workstation. A television and beanbag seats can be pulled out from similar cabinets in the bedroom when the residents just want to hang out.

In cities where highways and high-rises have taken up virtually every square foot of real estate there is to be had, lush parks, pedestrian walkways and bike paths can be hard to come by. That’s why, in many cities, supporters of public green space are starting to look up, and they’re reclaiming and rehabilitating abandoned infrastructure in the process. New York City’s The High Line has inspired cities across the world to consider disused railways and viaducts as elevated parks, and rooftop recreation spots are increasing in popularity, too.

The High Line, New York City

A rail track that was decommissioned in 1980, standing in disrepair as an eyesore for decades, is now one of New York City’s most popular attractions after its transformation into an elevated park. The High Line is a one-mile section of the former New York Central Railroad spur called The West Side, running along the lower west side of Manhattan, offering views of the city and the Hudson River along with walkways, naturalist plantings, and spots to rest. Its revitalization has spurred development in neighborhoods that lie alongside it.

Namba Parks, Osaka

Eight levels of sloping parks full of trees, cliffs, boulders, lawns, streams, waterfalls and outdoor terraces gradually wind up the rooftop of a lifestyle center adjacent to a 30-story tower in Osaka, Japan. Namba Parks provides greenery and recreation space in a city full of concrete, where nature can be difficult to access. Spaces carved from this rooftop space down to the bottom level of the building create artificial ‘canyons’ for natural lighting.

Promenade Plantee, Paris

Promenade Plantee is the elevated park that started it all, predating the High Line by nearly twenty years. It was built along Paris’ elevated Viaduct des Arts, which supported the Vincennes Railway from 1859 to 1969. The arcades under the viaduct were converted into art galleries and artisan workshops.

QueensWay Park on the Long Island Railroad, New York

The QueensWay project has been a controversial proposal, because although additional public green space would be a great thing for the residents of the Queens borough of New York City, many people feel that restoring the rail line to underserved areas would be even more beneficial. Nonetheless, the plan is moving forward, with a 3.5-mile section of decommissioned railway set to become a park.

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Leisure In The Sky 13 Railway Rooftop Parks

In summer 2012, when the Olympic Games come to London, lucky travelers will experience the bustle of the city from a boat-like temporary hotel perched atop the Queen Elizabeth Hall at the Southbank Centre. The winning design for the ‘A Room for London’ competition, by David Kohn Architects and artist Fiona Banner, almost seems to have been grounded in this unlikely location as if from an apocalyptically high tide.

Beating out the cloud-shaped entry by Design Initiatives and nearly 500 other submissions from around the world, the David Kohn design is a boat-shaped timber structure with upper and lower ‘decks’ from which visitors can enjoy unparalleled views of London. Up to two people at a time will be able to rent the temporary rooftop hotel – definitely a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

The boat design reflects the location, which offers sweeping views of the Thames River. The lower deck is comprised of a cozy double bedroom and ensuite bathroom walled in with windows for uninterrupted vistas, but you can get an even better look at the city from the balconies and ‘bridge’ on the upper deck.

More details, photographs and rates will be posted on the Living Architecture website when bookings begin on September 8th 2011. A Room for London will be available for the duration of 2012.