Pool Owner: Market Square Tower

Pool Designer/Builder: Julian Pittman of Jackson Ryan Architects 

Location: Houston, Texas

Features: 

• Sky pool on the top of a 42 story apartment building

• Dramatic, clear acrylic pool space that hangs over the side of the building

• Birdseye view of Downtown Houston 

• Sky Lounge with full kitchen

• Observation deck

When Julian Pittman and the team at Jackson Ryan met with the owner of Market Square Towers to consult on the design of the building, the owner wanted the building to be dreamlike and unforgettable. A rooftop pool with an overhanging, transparent floor 500ft off the ground will do just that! The owner of the building lives in the heart of New York City and wanted his one-of-a-kind tower in Houston to have the same appeal. The art deco inspired building could easily be placed across from Central Park on New York’s Upper East Side and fit right in. The design team wanted to use the rooftop as a unique place for people to gather and enjoy the views of beautiful Downtown Houston. Their design to put a pool on the roof was not the first of it’s kind, but their plan to have a glass bottom part of the pool jut out from building 502 feet in the air was a feat of engineering! The design team had to work with structural engineers and waterproofing experts to ensure that the building and their revolutionary pool would be able to withstand inclement weather, including hurricane force winds and lightning storms. The architects built a proportionate model of the tower to be placed in an extreme weather simulator to ensure that their design would be safe under any weather conditions. The tower and the pool project was completed in 2017. It’s one of the most sought-after views in the city, but only residents and their lucky guests can access the pool for the thrill of swimming out to the glass bottom overhang and being able to look directly 42 stories down!