Swiss architecture studio Herzog & de Meuron has revealed an "optical illusion" infinity pool at Italy's Lake Como made from prefabricated steel and sat against a backdrop of historic colonnades.
Located in the village of Blevio, the pool is part of a larger development by Herzog & de Meuron for the Mandarin Oriental Lago di Como resort.
This saw the studio reconceptualise the existing pool area and update the resort's indoor spa and reception.
The infinity pool was designed to "blend into the waters" of the lake
According to Herzog & de Meuron, the infinity pool was designed to merge with the lake's water to create "a kind of optical illusion" ? enhanced by the reflectiveness of the pool's glossy steel exterior. "The new floating pool is designed to blend into the waters when viewed from the lake, and to reveal as much as possible from the historic vaulted colonnade," the studio said.
"Earlier infills in glass and steel are removed and the historic vaults are opened and activated," Herzog & de Meuron studio partner Ascan Mergenthaler told Dezeen.
A bar and dining area extends from the interior
The studio provided access to the pool and decking via a ramp leading from a newly established bar and dining area that extends from the structure's arched colonnade.
Made from prefabricated steel, the 40-metre-long pool's engineered form was designed to reduce wave impact. It is attached on one side to a wooden terrac...