Extraordinary Pools

by Naina Gupta

Overview

A visual feast of fifty wonderfully distinctive and architecturally astounding swimming pools from around the world

Extraordinary Pools is a mosaic of exceptional public and private examples of pools, reasserting the protean quality of the swimming pool as a space of activity, pleasure, and excess. Illustrated with awe-inspiring color photography, it showcases stunning examples of architecturally significant swimming pools around the world, including:

• Berthold Lubetkin’s modernist Penguin Pool at the London Zoo
• The world’s largest infinity pool at Marina Bay Sands in Singapore
• The landmark Julia Morgan-designed City Club pool in Berkeley, California
• Luis Barragan's signature L-shaped pools at Cuadra San Cristobal in Mexico
• And many more

Woven throughout are essays by swimmers and architectural experts on the role swimming pools have played in shaping modern culture, from the 1932 Olympics and Mussolini’s campaign to redefine the new Italian Fascist as physically fit, disciplined, and virile to the dawn of circular backyard pools in California that became playgrounds for skateboarders during the great drought of the 1970s. With its lush imagery and lively discussion, Extraordinary Pools will dazzle recreationists and architecture enthusiasts alike.

STUNNING PHOTOGRAPHY: Illustrated with full-color images throughout, Extraordinary Pools is an aspirational, covetable volume befitting any design lover's coffee table display.

ENDLESSLY FASCINATING: Swimming pools are status symbols and objects of interest regardless of climate or season. Whether they are used for athletic pursuits or the simple joy of relaxing in water, found indoors or out, are kidney-shaped or Olympic-sized, pools are an enthralling source of visual and aesthetic pleasure.

EXPERIENCED AUTHOR: Naina Gupta, a practicing architect who teaches at the Architectural Association of the School of Architecture in London, turns her trained eye on a dazzling array of pools to explore their visual impact and cultural significance.

Perfect for:

• Swimmers, beach lovers, and pool enthusiasts
• Collectors of architecture, design, and home décor books
• Host/hostess or housewarming gift
• Architectural history buffs
• Photography fans and armchair travelers

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781797231297
Publisher:	Chronicle Books
Publication date:	05/13/2025
Pages:	208
Product dimensions:	10.86(w) x 8.50(h) x (d)

About the Author

Naina Gupta is an architect with degrees from Bangalore University and the Architectural Association School of Architecture in London. She is a registered architect in India and has a decade of experience working in architectural practices. She teaches at the Architectural Association School of Architecture in London.

Editorial Reviews

A ravishing celebration of a watery world.... Naina Gupta, an architect and educator, showcases 50 standout pools around the world in this elegant book of photographs that are accompanied by short, insightful descriptions. ” —Kirkus Reviews

From the Publisher

2025-04-19
Taking the plunge.

Gupta, an architect and educator who lives in England, showcases 50 standout pools around the world in this elegant book of photographs that are accompanied by short, insightful descriptions. Readers are treated to images of the Piscina Municipal de Montjuic, which has a commanding view of Barcelona and its pleasing earthtones, all pairing well with the calming azure water. (The pool—and more than a few bronzed bodies—are featured in singer Kylie Minogue’s “Slow” video.) Another exquisite spot, the rooftop Thermae Bath Spa in Bath, England, taps into the city’s history as a spa town. Gupta notes a nice perk: “Residents of Bath get a discount, as they are the rightful owners of the waters, as decreed by Elizabeth I.” Also in England is Repton Park, a gated community whose old chapel has been filled with water—one can float facing heavenward in the nave, admiring the vaulted ceiling overhead. Should you be in Paris, you can swim in the Art Deco Piscine Pontoise, which has the benefit of being open until midnight. (Juliette Binoche’s character avails herself of the facility’s late-night hours in Krzysztof Kieślowski’s 1993 filmThree Colours: Blue.) The book features work by female architects, including Julia Morgan’s lovely Berkeley City Club pool, lined with Corinthian columns, and Zaha Hadid’s graceful Aquatics Centre in London, designed for the 2012 Olympics. A notable modern design is architect Moshe Safdie’s infinity pool at the Marina Bay Sands Hotel in Singapore (as seen inCrazy Rich Asians). The pool sits 57 stories above the city; only hotel guests are allowed, the author points out, but that hasn’t stopped outsiders from sneaking in. Many pools are pretty, but Gupta acknowledges that some have ugly pasts marked by segregationist policies. Others are emblems of privilege, private oases that show off their exclusivity. Everybody in the pool? Not quite.

A ravishing celebration of a watery world.

Kirkus Reviews