'It will be like flying': London apartment complex connects two towers with rooftop sky pool

LONDON - A sky bridge already connected the Embassy Gardens’ Legacy Buildings in London, but why walk when you can swim?

Engineers have created a first-of-its-kind sky pool that connects the rooftops of neighboring buildings. Nick Curtis, a local theater critic, captured a video of the 82-foot-long swimming pool, which is scheduled to open to residents on May 19.

Swimmers will be able to see the ground through the pool’s glass bottom. And people 113 feet below will be able to see the sky.

According to a news release, the complex began looking at ways to add a swimming pool to the property in 2013, but it didn’t have enough space for a traditional in-ground pool. That’s when engineers looked to the sky.

"We decided the only space large enough was between the buildings," said Tristan Stout,  a senior development manager at Ballymore. "So we started to research images of aqueducts. If those structures could span valleys, we believed we could build a structure to span two buildings."

Nick Curtis, a local theatre critic, captured a video of the 82-foot long swimming pool — which is scheduled to open to residents on May 19. (Source: Nick Curtis via Storyful)

Sky pools with support beams beneath them already exist. Initially, that was the plan for Embassy Gardens.

Engineers would have connected the buildings with steel and installed glass discs to allow sunlight through. In the end, they took a more unique route, crafting a massive pool that doesn’t rely on beams.

"There are other examples of swimming pools like aqueducts connecting two buildings, like Marina Bay Sands in Singapore," said Brian Eckersley, a structural engineer at Eckersley O’Callaghan. "But there’s never been something transparent spanning two buildings like this. Once you swim off, you can look right down. It will be like flying."

This story was reported from Atlanta.