Glass-bottomed skypool suspended over void wins design contest for Paris
A glass-bottomed swimming pool connecting two matching skyscrapers has been named the winner of an ideas competition called Sky Pool Paris.
The design, named Skyframe, is the work of French architect Tommaso Bernabò Silorata. It proposes two 54-storey towers with a large central void between them, bridged at the top by the pool. Swimmers would have a head-spinning view all the way to the bottom of the void, where a ground pool would be located to offer a sense of symmetry.
Silorata’s tower design includes a hotel, restaurant, wine bar, auditorium and gym, alongside a rooftop lounge next to the pool. Terraces on both towers would jut out into the void and be covered in greenery to create a verdant vertical landscape.
The competition was hosted by Super Skyscrapers, an organisation exploring how the design of very tall structures can impact urban planning and shape the lives of communities.
In their summary of Silorata’s winning entry, the judges said: “This is a poetic and somewhat schematic presentation of a concept underpinned by the idea of continuous shift in time and space. It is an idea that could offer a great visual experience in a city like Paris.”
While the judges conceded the concept “lacks in great architectural execution and does not push detailed functional and environmental issues far enough,” they applauded the design as a strong starting point to develop a more fully-realised vision.
The sky pool contest rounds up a year which has seen the likes of Arup, Foster + Partners and RSP Architects Planners & Engineers design sky pools at increasingly greater heights.
New Dubai St Regis will have a 700ft-high swimming pool offering stunning city views
Foster + Partners' Battersea Power Station hotel to offer London vista from rooftop infinity pool
Arup’s glass sky pool will be suspended ten storeys up
Europe's premier Evian Spa unveiled at Hôtel Royal in France
Clinique La Prairie unveils health resort in China after two-year project
GoCo Health Innovation City in Sweden plans to lead the world in delivering wellness and new science
Four Seasons announces luxury wellness resort and residences at Amaala
Aman sister brand Janu debuts in Tokyo with four-floor urban wellness retreat
€38m geothermal spa and leisure centre to revitalise Croatian city of Bjelovar
Two Santani eco-friendly wellness resorts coming to Oman, partnered with Omran Group
Kerzner shows confidence in its Siro wellness hotel concept, revealing plans to open 100
Ritz-Carlton, Portland unveils skyline spa inspired by unfolding petals of a rose
Rogers Stirk Harbour & Partners are just one of the names behind The Emory hotel London and Surrenne private members club
Peninsula Hot Springs unveils AUS$11.7m sister site in Australian outback
IWBI creates WELL for residential programme to inspire healthy living environments
Conrad Orlando unveils water-inspired spa oasis amid billion-dollar Evermore Resort complex
Studio A+ realises striking urban hot springs retreat in China's Shanxi Province
Populous reveals plans for major e-sports arena in Saudi Arabia
Wake The Tiger launches new 1,000sq m expansion
Othership CEO envisions its urban bathhouses in every city in North America
Merlin teams up with Hasbro and Lego to create Peppa Pig experiences
SHA Wellness unveils highly-anticipated Mexico outpost
One&Only One Za’abeel opens in Dubai featuring striking design by Nikken Sekkei
Luxury spa hotel, Calcot Manor, creates new Grain Store health club
'World's largest' indoor ski centre by 10 Design slated to open in 2025
Murrayshall Country Estate awarded planning permission for multi-million-pound spa and leisure centre
Aman's Janu hotel by Pelli Clarke & Partners will have 4,000sq m of wellness space
Therme Group confirms Incheon Golden Harbor location for South Korean wellbeing resort
Universal Studios eyes the UK for first European resort
King of Bhutan unveils masterplan for Mindfulness City, designed by BIG, Arup and Cistri
Rural locations are the next frontier for expansion for the health club sector
Tonik Associates designs new suburban model for high-end Third Space health and wellness club
Aman sister brand Janu launching in Tokyo in 2024 with design by Denniston's Jean-Michel Gathy
Creating the 9/11 Memorial Museum in New York involved meticulous planning. Its director Alice Greenwald tells us more