The Highest Outdoor Pool in the World Soars 1,060 Feet Above the Ground

Perhaps what makes swimming most relaxing—besides the weightlessness from the water—are the views. Whether at a beach, club, backyard or even the highest outdoor pool in the world, looking out at your surroundings from a cool oasis is an undeniably indulgent experience. Of course, for the latter, there’s only one place on earth to have this experience: Guangxi China Resources Tower, which has recently claimed the title as the location for the tallest outdoor pool on the planet. 

Designed by Chicago-based Goettsch Partners (GP), the skyscraper rises 1,322 above Nanning, China, the capital of the Guangxi region in the southern part of the country. The building is the 18th tallest building in the nation, the 37th tallest in the world, and holds corporate, retail residential, and hospitality spaces. On the 71st floor a terrace tops the lower volume of the building, acting as a distinctive outdoor lookout space and housing the hotel’s outdoor pool. At 1,060 feet in the air, the architects claim the amenity is the highest pool in the world, offering guests 180-degree views of the city as well as surrounding lakes, parks, and mountains. 

The building represents a defining element of a larger mixed-use development and was designed to meet LEED Gold standards. According to the architects, mechanical systems within the building maximize operational efficiencies and minimize both the building’s energy and water consumption. “The tower is a sustainable response to its urban context,” Travis Soberg, principal and director of sustainable design at GP, said in a statement. “The building integrates conservation methods throughout the design that reinforce our commitment to environmental responsibility.”

When Guangxi China Resources Tower was completed in late October, its outdoor pool claimed the record from the infinity pool at Marina Bay Sands in Singapore, which sits on the hotel’s 57th floor. Designed by Moshe Safdie, the hotel still distinguishes itself as having the world’s largest outdoor pool.