8 High-Design Swimming Spots to Beat the Heat This Summer

Azure Magazine highlights eight architecturally significant swimming destinations worldwide, from a community-built forest pool in Czechia to a floating sauna boat in London. The list includes the Forest Pool by Mjölk architekti in Liberec, Czech Republic, a historic site revived after a 2010 fire, now featuring a new CLT and timber building with a turquoise steel frame. In Italy, the Sky Pool Villas by Apostoli Wellness Creators at Lefay Resort & SPA Lago di Garda offer luxury villas with heated infinity pools and materials like Canaletto walnut and Travertino Classico. Los Angeles's Stile DTLA, renovated by Design, Bitches, celebrates LA's unique character with aqua pool tiles and terracotta hues, ahead of the 2028 Olympics. London's SOAK, a canal boat sauna by badweather, operates off-grid with solar panels and moves every two weeks. Milan's Bagni Masteriosi, a 1930s rationalist pool by Luigi Lorenzo Secchi, hosts summer swimming and aperitivo bars, named after Giorgio de Chirico's painting. Jones Beach East Bathhouse on Long Island, restored by WXY, now features geothermal wells and floodproofing for 2080 projections. Toronto's Pam McConnell Aquatic Centre by MJMA, opened in 2012, was the first in Canada with universal changerooms and UV sanitation. Brooklyn's Shirley Chisholm Recreation Center by Studio Gang, the first LEED v4 Platinum public building in Brooklyn, includes a competition pool and community spaces with art by Vanessa German.