r/Damnthatsinteresting • u/Main_Locksmith_2543 • 10h ago
Video Swimmers enjoying the London Sky Pool, a fully transparent pool suspended 115 feet in the air between two buildings
3.6k
u/jadewithmello 10h ago
What could possibly go wrong?
1.2k
u/TravincalPlumber 10h ago
an earthquake big enough to sway either building, very unlikely but never 0.
534
u/EugeneHarke 9h ago
Geophysicist here.
We have earthquakes in the UK. Not big ones. But I hope that building regulations will require this to withstand a 5 on the smt scale (the same as the Richter scale but if I say Richter scale someone will correct me). Personally I'm more worried about a sonic boom taking it out. But I'm not an engineer.
478
u/Azuzu88 8h ago
As an engineer a sonic boom is unlikely to do much here. This thing is made of acrylic which handles shocks much better than glass, and the type of acrylic is incredibly strong. This is basically the same sort of stuff they use in aquariums. You've also got that water, which has huge inertia and would absorb a lot of the energy from a sonic boom anyway.
The whole thing is, I believe, on a sliding joint system which should basically help to protect against shocks and earthquakes as well.
165
→ More replies (7)4
u/mrASSMAN 2h ago
That’s actually a really good point, for some reason I didn’t consider that it could be made out of plastic rather than glass.. that makes so much obvious sense now though lol
37
u/katyusha-the-smol 6h ago
Airplane guy, super sonic aircraft are restricted to sub-sonic speeds over land except in designated “safety” areas mostly for testing, but even then it’s only allowed over water mostly. Should be fine.
→ More replies (5)82
u/Some_Helicopter 5h ago
Reddit user, can confirm the aircraft would technically be above water in this case.. Be advised.
→ More replies (5)25
u/Aligayah 7h ago
Why is Richter scale incorrect and wtf is an smt scale?
33
u/deadtiger 6h ago
Richter measures magnitude, smt/shindo measures intensity. Total energy released vs. degree of surface shaking at a given spot. Earthquakes have different smt numbers across multiple regions.
3
u/EugeneHarke 1h ago
I might add here that there several ways of measuring an earthquakes intensely. But they all try scale with the outdated Richter scale. So it is just pedantic to argue at least at this level. But this is reddit and there are pendants
→ More replies (4)6
u/WelshyFTW 8h ago
Didn't we have a magnitude of 6.1 in like 1930?
→ More replies (3)7
u/GrumbusWumbus 7h ago
That's the largest earthquake ever recorded in Britain and it wasn't even on land. It was off the coast well into the north sea.
You don't plan for the strongest earthquake that could ever happen, you plan for the ones that are reasonably likely to occur because a strong enough quake will destroy everything no matter what you do.
You weigh the outcomes of failure and design with the knowledge that an earthquake could destroy it at any time.
→ More replies (1)3
163
u/Hallsy3x6 9h ago
Good thing it’s in London then.
131
u/ppmd420 9h ago
Also means they didn't have to consider random people shooting at it which I would imagine is a serious problem... Elsewhere.
115
u/Hallsy3x6 9h ago
It’s just outside the US embassy though so it’s a non zero chance!
36
u/Mean-Fondant-8732 9h ago
My headcannon from now on out is that the US Embassy’s are essentially Wild West saloons.
→ More replies (4)→ More replies (2)21
u/thtamthrfckr 6h ago
American here, as long as there’s no school or religious building close by you could be ok, carry on
→ More replies (1)→ More replies (1)5
u/PKSkriBBLeS 8h ago
In 1580 there was a 5.8 . Is that big enough to crack this?
→ More replies (1)19
82
u/zeelbeno 9h ago
Or Godzilla might attack the building.
As unlikely in London but never 0
→ More replies (1)5
u/MrAmazing011 8h ago
That'd be like a little kids snack tray at a park to Godzilla.
...gotta say, I'd kinda like to see him eat from that
3
u/Justout133 8h ago
But Godzilla's usually the good guy, at least in every sequel to the original, believe it or not. Still tends to be wrecking buildings in his quest to defend earth from all the other monsters, though.
49
u/Valagoorh 9h ago
A meteorite impact at this location that shatter the glass is highly unlikely, but never 0.
41
u/Leonbacon 10h ago
I remember not long ago a big earthquake hit Thailand and the bridge between two buildings broke.
35
u/Apprehensive_Rule852 9h ago
Also that pool on one of the roofs just sending tidal waves over the edge lol
5
u/skaggldrynk 8h ago
Oh yeah, an earthquake might not destroy it if it's thick acrylic on a sliding joint, but the way buildings sway throws out tons of water so now I'm imagining being in there and going weeeeeee with a wave right over the edge.
3
u/Zestokist 8h ago
If I remember right a father jumped the breaking bridge before it fully collapsed to get something or one of their children that I can't remember
18
15
u/smokefoot8 8h ago
I’d be more worried about high winds swaying the buildings. Tall buildings are designed to move with the wind rather than stay perfectly rigid, but the pool materials are unlikely to be happy with repeated stressors.
→ More replies (1)25
u/TallTelevision4121 8h ago
You don't think that thought went into its engineering?
20
u/Thayli11 7h ago
Of course it did. But there's a lot of failed architecture throughout human history because something was missed or the stressors come in larger or more frequently than was accounted for.
→ More replies (1)7
u/i_poop_chainsaws 7h ago
Six miles away from this sky pool is the Grinfell Tower fire location. I’d never assume anyone in this area follows through on their engineering thoughts.
4
u/ian9outof10 5h ago
Grenfell is what happens when you ignore engineers and clad a building with unsuitable materials. As it was designed, that specific problem would never have existed. “Improving” the look from the outside was the catastrophic failure.
→ More replies (14)5
u/RIF_rr3dd1tt 5h ago
Or someone flies an aiplane into the building. Seen that happen before.
→ More replies (2)143
u/OriginalTigerDuck 10h ago
Something like Aquadom in Berlin. They thought this could never happen…
138
u/StargazyPi 10h ago
Yep. Built by the same people!
And, fun fact, they never worked out why the aquarium exploded either!
54
u/BingusTheWonderKitn 9h ago
No way. It's made by the same people?! That makes this multitudes scarier
45
u/QuietGanache 8h ago
And, fun fact, they never worked out why the aquarium exploded either!
They never reached a firm conclusion as to the precise cause but there were plenty of potential contributing factors:
- A few years after commissioning, significant leaks developed near the base, which would have unevenly stressed the acrylic.
- During refurbishment, the tank was left dry for a year. Acrylic contracts as it dries so this would also have induced stress in the material, with further stress as the inside of the cylinder expanded ahead of the outside from water permeating back in
- Chisels were used to remove the old glue, hammered towards the outside wall of the cylinder
- The water in the tank was kept significantly warmer than the exterior, which was allowed to fall well below freezing on the night in question (this would also be a factor in the pool but the stress cannot build up as much because it's an open trough).
→ More replies (1)11
u/Adipay 10h ago
That is odd. What are the leading theories?
39
u/StargazyPi 9h ago
Wikipedia mentions material fatigue and temperature differentials.
Which is again interesting, as this pool is exposed to the outside air, whilst containing heated water!
→ More replies (1)→ More replies (6)19
u/_TeaWrecks_ 9h ago
It says right in the article they linked. "... suspected causes included material fatigue, exacerbated by the difference between Berlin's very low air temperature (−9 °C (16 °F) that night), and the tank's water temperature (26 °C (79 °F))."
→ More replies (1)9
u/syncapse 9h ago
makes no sense...why is the interior of a hotel lobby -9C?? The tank is indoors...Seems like someone wrote some BS into wiki
2
→ More replies (1)11
u/-Anonymously- 9h ago
How can I not find a single video (security or otherwise) of the moment it fails?
45
u/CrisstIIIna 10h ago edited 9h ago
Literally yesterday I saw a story about a giant suspended aquarium (AquaDom in Berlin) in a hotel that abruptly exploded, leaving about 1500 fish sploshing around glass and other floor debris all the way into the street. No one was injured, which is insane, and they managed to rescue a lot of the fish. In this scenario if something like this happens with people inside is just gonna result in catastrophic consequences....
Edit: thanks for the correction, no one died.
39
13
u/juliankennedy23 9h ago
I mean it exploded at 5:30 in the morning when the place was basically closed that's why no one was injured.
→ More replies (1)11
9
→ More replies (4)4
70
u/Main_Locksmith_2543 10h ago
One cracked glass and you become part of the London skyline 😅
31
5
→ More replies (3)3
u/deeeeeeeeeeeeez 9h ago
you become part of the London skyline
yeah? The glass breaks, and you become part of the skyline? Brilliant
8
u/RPDRNick 8h ago
London Sky Pool falling down? Falling down? Falling down?
London Sky Pool falling down, my fair lady.
9
4
9
u/Organic_Rough4433 10h ago
The glass could break and they could all fall to their deaths. Hope this helps /s
→ More replies (26)7
1.6k
u/Ol_Dirty_Batard 10h ago
Abso-fucking-lutely not.
→ More replies (2)324
u/Main_Locksmith_2543 10h ago edited 9h ago
Imagine the glass cracking while you're swimming 🫣
114
u/blackweebow 10h ago
P sure I saw this in Final Destination or some shit
93
u/Lyndon_Boner_Johnson 10h ago
In the movie The Amateur with Rami Malek he kills a guy by detonating an explosive which breaks the glass and the guy falls out the bottom.
18
u/Rabid_Mexican 9h ago
There is also a mission in one of the Hitman games where you can perform this assassination
35
u/Username12764 10h ago
There‘s a Jason Statham movie with a very similar scene
13
→ More replies (1)7
→ More replies (7)3
13
u/jeweliegb 9h ago
Imagine it having some of those see through LCD panels with animations on them that looks like they're breaking like on that Chinese bridge.
7
→ More replies (5)3
277
u/aggressive_napkin_ 7h ago
as a normal human, i don't care how engineeringly sound such a thing is or can be demonstrated to be. FUCK. THAT.
72
u/ecodrew 7h ago
Yup. I am a big believer in science and engineering, but my fear of heights is in charge on this one.
33
u/slonkulocuswily182 5h ago
My fear of contractors fucking up is in charge of this one.
I’ve seen too many videos lol
→ More replies (1)14
→ More replies (6)5
u/Tayloropolis 2h ago
To me this feels like watching someone unload a revolver, check the barrel, check the chambers, put a trigger lock on, then point it directly at their head. I'm confident it's probably gonna be fine but at the same time wtf why are you doing that?
521
u/SpeakWithoutFear 10h ago
Nope.
39
9
→ More replies (1)48
u/Own_Sheepherder_6244 10h ago
What if concrete was see through? You'd be cooked?
111
→ More replies (1)61
u/Erathen 10h ago
Concrete is not glass
Glass does not flex like concrete
→ More replies (11)10
u/TheVividCashew 10h ago
I might be wrong but, doesn't glass bend further than concrete barring specialized conditional concrete
178
u/DynamiteWitLaserBeam 4h ago
I heard this elsewhere, but:
I don't trust any engineer this much. But even if I did,
I don't trust any manufacturer this much. But even if I did,
I don't trust any builder this much. But even if I did,
I don't trust other people this much. But even if I did,
I don't trust ME this much.
9
u/Nivek_Vamps 2h ago
My family was at Disney World this past week and one of the stores had this massive glass/crystal/gem castle for sale for $285,000. Obviously my mom wanted it because it was legitimately very pretty, but just as obviously we did not buy it. My mom wasn't serious but she kept asking for my dad to buy it for her, eventually he said it wouldn't fit in the luggage and she retorted that the store offers shipping, I said that there isn't a single organization, company, group, or individual(including myself!) that I would trust with transporting something as expensive and delicate as it.
11
u/JDM-Kirby 1h ago
I would rather get it shipped and insured than I carry it and break it myself with no insurance.
→ More replies (2)9
u/Inevitable_Pop4005 1h ago
Bro honestly considering a fucking crystal decoration at DISNEY WORLD for a price of a small house
4
u/Nivek_Vamps 1h ago
Not us. Idk who is going to buy that thing, but it certainly wasn't going to be my family
→ More replies (1)→ More replies (3)3
169
u/Cold-Designer5105 10h ago
Insane plot for final Destination
23
u/MisterBumpingston 9h ago
A Hitman mission, I believe.
5
u/Bauld_Man 8h ago
The Playboy mission in Blood Money. One of the targets is in a glass-bottomed hot tub you can shoot out.
→ More replies (2)3
147
u/KebabAnnhilator 10h ago
Embassy Gardens charges £6,000 a year for a service charge on top of rent for that btw
Plus they have a ‘poor door’ for people in the cheaper flats to enter through, with higher paying tenants having easier and more exclusive access
62
u/Tight_Replacement771 9h ago
I can't believe they even let the poors swim with them. They should at least make them wear some kind of identifying mark /jk
→ More replies (2)3
27
91
u/snakesnake9 10h ago
I've swum there, it's pretty cool. Obviously not something for someone who's afraid of heights. But waving to people walking underneath it through the glass was pretty fun.
15
u/Main_Locksmith_2543 10h ago
That must be such an unreal experience! Was it scary at first when you looked straight down?
→ More replies (1)→ More replies (2)13
u/dragon8733 10h ago
I visited the US embassy and it made me feel ill just watching people swimming in it lol
16
u/VanillaGoorillla 9h ago
Ain’t this the pool remi malek destroys in that movie he’s in as a spy
→ More replies (3)
24
15
21
u/geek66 6h ago
I am an engineer, I trust engineering… I am also a swimmer… always happy to jump in..
Still.. I think I am a nope
→ More replies (3)3
u/listenyall 5h ago
I was at a resort that had this, it was just the 5th floor and it was small, basically a pool hallway between two normal pools, it was terrifying
→ More replies (1)
9
u/Lil_b00zer 10h ago
Wasn’t this like 2020? I remember something about not all the residents of the building were allowed access. Like if you had an apartment that was part of social housing you had no way of getting to the pool.
→ More replies (2)
10
16
u/CitizenHuman 10h ago
All I can think of is the movie The Amateur where Rami Malek blows up a pool like this.
8
8
69
u/SugarPlumMary 9h ago
Yes, London is well-known for its hot and sunny climate, I'm sure this outdoor pool high in the windy sky is very comfortable and useful. It's not at all just some rich people useless nonsense built merely for bragging rights. Not. At. All.
25
u/Big-Cartographer-556 8h ago
London registered <1mm of rain this summer from mid June to September. Total.
27
u/QualityPostBelow 9h ago
85+ 25c/77f days this year in London. I wouldn't mind a pool at all. Plus, it's heated
→ More replies (5)6
13
5
11
u/Practical-March-6989 3h ago
why is this being regurgitated now? Its been up for literally years.
→ More replies (3)5
u/cantsitheya 1h ago
It's my first time seeing it. I get that the Internet sucks and bots are annoying. But this gave me anxiety for a minute, isn't that worth something? No, ok.
→ More replies (1)
21
13
5
u/ManukaBadger86 10h ago
Looks like if a particularly ornery truck drove by, may turn your swim into a free dive.
5
6
u/Affectionate-Egg7566 9h ago
What about the buildings swaying in the wind? Won't that cause immense strain on the glass?
6
u/thatirishguyyyyy 2h ago
Yeah, im good.
If this is the Nine Elms district, then theu blew this pool up in The Amateur movie.
I understand that it's just a movie but I would rather just watch.
6
10
u/not_trevor 8h ago
Hell to the N to the Fuck to the O to the mitten flipping NO.
→ More replies (2)
8
8
u/Emergency_Pea_61652 10h ago
Clearly these people haven't seen Final Destination
6
u/ThepalehorseRiderr 9h ago
Or "The amateur". A 2025 action movie starring Rami Malek where he assassinates a guy swimming in this pool by putting vacuum charges underneath it to delaminate the glass until it fails.
→ More replies (1)
4
4
5
3
13
25
u/tr00th 10h ago
Knowing the about of the engineering, the planning and specific materials used to build this pool I’d be okay swimming to the middle.
If it can hold all that water, which weighs more than all the humans swimming in it and not collapse, it definitely not gonna happen if I take a dip. The only reason I’d not swim here is I don’t want to be constantly filmed by a fricking helicopter flying overhead!
22
u/Erathen 10h ago
I don't think anyone is saying your weight could cause it to break lol
10
→ More replies (2)8
7
u/ZonnyT16 10h ago
im sure i wont see this pool on the news as a tragedy in the future
→ More replies (1)3
u/turbopro25 9h ago
While this is all true and it’s most likely safe, I’ll stick to the pool that’s on the ground. I don’t need falling to my death added to the dangers of swimming.
→ More replies (32)3
u/blahyaddayadda24 6h ago
I dont think you've read enough about engineering blunders that have cost lives.
7
7
u/gary_desanto 9h ago
Someone explain to a non structural engineer, who still knows just enough to know that tall buildings sway a lot more than you would think, why this isn't the dumbest thing ever?
→ More replies (2)6
u/andylugs 8h ago
The clear Acrylic centre has Steel end caps or ‘tubs’ that are connected to the buildings concrete structure. One end is pinned with a limited range of movement whilst the other rests on sliding bridge bearings to allow for movement and thermal expansion etc.
→ More replies (2)
23
u/peabody624 9h ago edited 9h ago
Redditors don’t want to swim in it, huge surprise
🤓 “the best part about this is it’s totally optional!”
→ More replies (3)
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
u/mrASSMAN 2h ago
I’m gonna fly against the tide here and say it’s fucking cool and I’d swim in it. I was worried about it until realizing it’s not glass, it’s acrylic/plastic.. it’s not going to suddenly shatter
7
10
4
4
3
u/Kwazipig 10h ago
I just looked and the empty structure weighs 50 tonnes. The water weighs an additional 150 tonnes. Thats a big nope from me.
4
4
5
u/justADDbricks 9h ago
Worth pointing out that, as per the UK laws, where new developments need to have a certain amount of social housing in them, that those residents, who share the same building, are not allowed to use the pool. Despite the fact they live there.
8
u/ThaCarter 8h ago
So if I understand this right, the building is required to have some subsidized housing but the subsidized units aren't given amenities associated with the higher priced (or higher maintenance fee condos) units?
I imagine the subsidized residents could pay for access if they chose, but otherwise this doesn't seem too problematic. Not uncommon to have tiers in shared services communities - non-golfers rejoice!
I do wonder about efficacy as far as requiring apportionment of all builds of this kind versus dedicated buildings kept at a comparable %, but don't really have much inclination as to which is better or worse.
6
u/gulp_daddy 7h ago
I lived there and that’s not correct - the social housing units are in a different building and don’t bear the EG name nor do they pay the service fee for the building amenities. I couldn’t even use the amenities despite living there until our letting agent put both mine and my partner’s name on the lease despite both of us paying rent and living there.
The other commenter who mentioned a “poor door” was talking out of their ass too as no such door exists.
→ More replies (2)
5
u/Garden-squirrel 10h ago
Wow! Even if someone offered me money to swim in that pool, I wouldn't/couldn't do it.
Well, honestly, for a million dollars, I'd dip in for a second but that's it.
2
2
2
2
2
2
u/blatantregard 10h ago
"Enjoy" haha... except for the constant butthole clenching and "don't look down" running through their heads. Super relaxing.
2
2
671
u/Daft_Tyler 10h ago edited 9h ago
It's a fun and games until Jason Statham is suction cupping his way to the weakest point of the pool to plant a small explosive charge.