By Brian Lada, Meteorologist
September 15,2015; 10:53AM,EDT
(Pixland/Thinkstock)
The international property development company Ballymore Group made a splash in the architectural community last month when they announced their plans for constructing two residential buildings in London that will be connected by a swimming pool suspended 10 stories above the ground.
The pool has taken the name of Sky Pool and will be the first of its kind in the world.
To add to the architectural accomplishment, the part of the pool spanning the gap between the buildings will be made of acrylics, a see-through substance similar to glass that will give swimmers the sensation of swimming through the London sky.
RT @demagazine: Eco World @BallymoreGroup reveals designs for a 35m high suspended #SkyPool @EmbassyGardens #London
This new, one-of-a-kind building will have to overcome some architectural challenges due to the wind and its effects on the buildings and adjoining pool.
"The two buildings are subject to normal movements which are inherent in any building of this scale, due to wind sway, foundation settlement, etc.," said Eckersley O'Callaghan, the structural design practice that is working on the project.
"The new structure must deal with these and so it cannot be rigidly connected at both ends, it must be allowed to slide at the same time as maintaining watertightness," they continued.
One of the engineers at the practice, Brian Eckersley, added to this, telling the BBC "[the buildings] move slightly differently in the wind so one big problem is that we're trying to span potentially a fragile structure between these two buildings that are moving separately."
London is subject to being hit by wind storms that can easily produce wind gusts that exceed 60 mph (97 km/h), especially from October through March.
These wind storms can complicate construction, especially if one of these storms hits when the Sky Pool is being built.
Sky pool at @EmbassyGardens: it's going to be stunning. Another world first in #NineElms!
The weather in London is not always ideal for swimming with temperatures averaging in the lower 70s F (lower 20s C) in July, the warmest part of the summer.
However, temperatures do occasionally reach into the 80s F (upper 20s C) with some days even topping out in the 90s F (lower to middle 30s C).
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Building an Indoor Pool
The Sky Pool will be heated for future swimmers, allowing people to swim comfortably in the pool during the summer months even when heat is not in place.
Keeping the pool heated may turn out to be a challenge when it is windy due to its design.
The wind will draw the heat away from the pool, lowering the temperature of the water much quicker than if the winds were calm or if the pool was in the ground.
The Sky Pool and associated apartment buildings are scheduled to be completed in 2019, but apartments are set to go on sale this month.
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