whether it’s dipping your feet into an elevated body of water that overlooks the entire city, or diving into a glass-bottomed rooftop that peeps into your living room, swimming pools are often the places that dream up the impossible. thanks to our readers from 2021, we have received thousands of private pool submissions from all around the globe that unlock endless possibilities.

as we continue our round-up of the year, we’ve gathered some of the most exciting projects submitted by our readers. from a luxurious all-glass balcony basin that visually connects sea and sky in israel, to a see-through water tank that fills a greek villa with refracted light, we highlight our TOP 10 reader submissions of 2021 – private pools.

ALL-GLASS SWIMMING POOL FILTERS SUNLIGHT WITHIN SPACIOUS PENTHOUSE RENOVATION IN BRAZIL

image courtesy of fran parente

within the upscale itaim neighborhood, in sao paulo, brazil, architects rogério gurgel and caio d’alfonso have completed the renovation of a spacious penthouse, seeking to provide a more gracious and efficient living environment. the refurbishment focuses on a series of essential layout modifications, with new materials and furniture providing a sophisticated overall look. a steel staircase and an all-glass rooftop swimming pool serve as the core elements of the interior, making for a unique, distinctive design.

SUNNY PATIO WITH POOL BECOMES THE PROTAGONIST OF 19TH-CENTURY HOUSE RENOVATION IN PORTUGAL

image courtesy of guilherme blasco augusto

in the heart of a small fortified village in the alentejo region, portugal, co.rp arquitetos has refurbished a house that dates back to the 19th century. this building has countless and distinct occupations and stories, making it a promenade of rural heritage, an archive of moments of compelling architectural tradition and properly preserved. the negative spaces of the residence were the main focus of the intervention, with the architects putting particular emphasis on redesigning the patio as a familiar relaxation area with a swimming pool.

FABIAN TAN DESIGNS ROOFTOP VIEWING PLATFORM WITH POOL ON ‘OTTIQA HOUSE’ IN KUALA LUMPUR

image courtesy of fabian tan

settling on a verdant hillside in kuala lumpur, malaysia, ‘ottiqa house’ by fabian tan is a recently refurbished private residence, formed to accommodate a young couple with a calm lifestyle. the project includes the complete renovation of a pre-existing conventional terrace house, introducing an ‘extending architecture’ scheme to extend the boundaries of the dwelling and deliver a new fresh concept.

MARY BARENSFELD DEPLOYS ARCHITECTURAL LANDSCAPE IN OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA

mary barensfeld architecture installs ‘pitcher’s prow’, a viewing platform nestled against an existing house on a hillside in oakland, california. the project takes the form of an architectural landscape in a deployable kit-of-parts structure. it includes cedar decks, a white-steel clad pool volume, and concrete prows anchoring into the earth as durable monolithic forms, harkening back to the site’s stone quarry history.

THIS LUXURIOUS PENTHOUSE DESIGN IN ISRAEL EMBRACES TRANSPARENCY AND VISUAL CONTINUITY

image courtesy of itay benit

bordering the israeli shoreline, the akiva penthouse apartment by architect raz melamed is a renovated, luxurious and sleek bachelor’s pad that opens onto an impressive view of the sea and neighboring golf courses. its prominent feature, the balcony pool, visually boosts the sea- sky connection and joins together other elements of the penthouse that have been carefully designed to emphasize luxury, clean style, and entertainment.

W DESIGN EMBEDS LUXURIOUS GLASS SUITE IN THE HEART OF SOUTH AFRICAN WILDERNESS RESERVE

image by DOOK for VISI

‘where man and mountain meet’ is a lodge by w design architecture studio in welgevonden game reserve, part of the waterberg biosphere in the limpopo province of south africa, one of the most accessible premier malaria-free wilderness reserves in the country. the reserve is home to the ‘big five’ and over 130 different mammal species and is best known for its fascinating and rare ancient rock formations and layers of sandstone mountain ridges and ravines. this lodge is one of the five new luxury suites in 57 waterberg, an existing private game lodge originally constructed in the 1990s and renovated in 2019 to include an extension, an upgraded main lounge, a new and expanded chef’s kitchen, laundry, and various other ancillary functions.

NATURAL CORK PANELS AND BIOCLIMATIC STRATEGIES BUILD A HOUSE IN A BARCELONA FOREST

architect elisabetta quarta colosso of el fil verd has realized a single family home on the edge of barcelona’s garraf natural park. the project was commissioned for a retired couple who dreamt of living in the middle of nature in a dwelling with low energy consumption. in response, the aptly named ‘house in the forest’ was conceived as a passive building that gently blends into its surroundings.

SUBMERGED VOLUMES AND PLANTED ROOFS INTEGRATE THESE HOUSES INTO THE GREEK COASTLINE

image by yiorgos kordakis

A2 architects combines above-ground constructions with submerged volumes for this residential project in the greek village of tolo. the complex comprises three separate dwellings that are built one after another down a sloping site overlooking the argolic gulf. the architectural design seeks to respect the natural surroundings while providing residents with unobstructed sea views.

RESIDENTIAL COMPLEX BY ERRE APPEARS AS AN URBAN OASIS IN THE HEART OF VALENCIA, SPAIN

image courtesy of david frutos

in the heart of valencia, spain, ERRE arquitectura has refurbished and redesigned a 1921 building to form the ‘AC33’ residential complex, integrating five dwellings, a private interior garden, a garage, along with commercial premises. seeking to highlight the historical and artistic heritage of the city, the project preserves and rehabilitates the old structure, transforming an internal and undervalued space into an intimate environment where both personal and collective spheres coexist in balance.

KONSTANTINOS STATHOPOULOS | KRAK. ARCHITECTS UNVEILS GEOMETRIC VILLA WITH REFRACTED SWIMMING POOL LIGHT

image courtesy of konstantinos stathopoulos|KRAK. architects

konstantinos stathopoulos | KRAK. architects designed ‘villa aquatica’ in corfu, greece, using elements that trigger exploration and play to constitute a symbolic example of ‘a story of rebirth’— a process that deeply inspired the designers. they state that one of the first stages of our contact with the world takes place in a humid and quiet environment in the context of maternal pregnancy where information from the outside world is filtered by the amniotic fluid, sounds, rhythms, and intensity of light and shadows. konstantinos stathopoulos | KRAK. architects wanted to recreate the idea of rebirth through space by revealing a wonderful world of senses inside this villa.