24 Dec 2015
Glass-bottomed skypool suspended over void wins design contest for Paris
BY Kim Megson
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.
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