Luxury unlimited: Mumbai tower to have private pool on every balcony

Mumbai: Going a step further in offering luxury living in India, a developer in Mumbai has offered a private balcony pool to each home of a multi-story ultra-luxury residential apartment it is constructing in Bandra.

Bandra Ohm, a 30-story tower with 100 ultra-luxury residential units, will be made in such way that each crescent-shaped balcony of an apartment will have a pool made of acrylic (the material used in aquariums).

Being designed by Hong Kong-based firm James Law Cybertecture, the building with private swimming pools offers a new definition to the luxury living in high-rise buildings.

Though a lot questions come to the mind with regard to the sustainability, durability of buildings, replacement of water in swimming pools, etc, the new ‘balcony pool’ concept has indeed attracted the attention of property enthusiasts and high-end property buyers in Mumbai.

A Wall Street Journal report quoting James Law Cybertecture having said that, "The design concept of the tower is inspired by the ripple effect generated by water droplets, which is also known as the capillary wave."

The ripple creates an empty space at the center of the building, where the builders have built a specially designed clubhouse.

But this is not the first of its kind development that will have a private swimming pool in each balcony. A 35-story residential complex in Kuala Lumpur has 94 Apartments and 95 Swimming Pools. In Bahamas too, there is a 34-unit Honeycomb building under construction which will have a private pool in every home, the report said.

But many doubt whether the buildings with private balcony pools are worth a buy. Since they are usually quite small and have a high possibility of spilling over. Also, there is always a possibility of potential disaster due to leak.

On builders’ point of view, the complexity in making swimming pool at the balcony will increase the construction cost significantly. Obviously, this extra cost will be passed on to the customers. For example, the Honeycomb's condos that are 5,800 square feet are priced at $15 million.

"The definition of luxury has been changing constantly in India. It is good that developers are trying new things to attract potential customers. They should make sure that such construction should have longevity and strong enough to provide protection to the residents concerned,” says Mukesh Gowariker, a Mumbai-based property consultant.