Japanese architect Shigeru Ban is taking a very, uh, literal approach to his $23.5 million Mount Fuj

Japanese architect Shigeru Ban is taking a very, uh, literal approach to his $23.5 million Mount Fuji World Heritage Center. The building’s wooden lattice is designed to look like the volcano’s inverse—reflecting its silhouette in pool that will surround the building when it’s finished in 2016. [DesignBoom]

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Distract Yourself From Winter With the Most Amazing Pools on Earth

Distract Yourself From Winter With the Most Amazing Pools on Earth

As winter tightens its cold, brittle fingers around our hearts one last time, Sploid has taken to meditating on incredible pools as a means of survival. Below, find some of the most luxurious, elegant, and downright outlandish designs around.

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From the Playboy Mansion to YOLO Estate: The Lure of Backyard Grottos

From the Playboy Mansion to YOLO Estate: The Lure of Backyard Grottos

Welcome to the YOLO Estate, the $7.7 million residence in L.A.’s Hidden Hills that was recently purchased by Drake. But it wasn’t necessarily the home itself that caught the eye of the rapper/songwriter/Degrassi alum, according to a recent interview with Rolling Stone. It was the grotto.

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Don’t You Wish You Were In One of These Beautiful Natural Pools?

Don't You Wish You Were In One of These Beautiful Natural Pools?

You’d be crazy not to love stark, modern design like the stunning Tangga House, but the natural look can be beautiful too. Take these awesome man-made pond pools from Water House for example. You can’t tell me you don’t want to dive in right now.

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12 Cool Pools You Wish You Were Swimming In Now

12 Cool Pools You Wish You Were Swimming In Now

It’s gone from warm and pleasant seersucker weather to hot as hell outside. It’s slogging through air so thick you need a machete and a shower every time you step outside hot. In times like these, you just want to laze in a pool. Specifically, in these positively perfect specimens.

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This Submersible Skatepark Is Drainage in Disguise

This Submersible Skatepark Is Drainage in Disguise

Skateboarding’s earliest shredders cut their teeth in empty pools and drainage pipes, but extreme sport-boardin’ has come a long way in the years since. There are plenty of devoted skateparks out there now, but this one in Denmark goes back to those roots by doubling as a functional drainage system.

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This Pool Hidden Among Plants Is Not a Mirage

Wouldn’t you rather be in this pool, right now, until your whole body transforms into a shriveled raisin? It’s not your winter-weary eyes playing tricks on you, it’s a succulent plant-covered leisure center in Amsterdam. More »

Is a Skinny Pool Better Than No Pool at All?

Ohhh! A skinny pool! Great for lap swimming. More »

iRobot’s Mirra 530 Gets More Power To Better Compete With Pool Boys

iRobot’s updated Mirra 530 pool-cleaning robot promises to make it even easier to tidy up your cement pond come summer. Designed to replace the company’s Verro 500 model, the Mirra features a set of large wheels instead of treads to better hug the ground and walls of a pool, as well as a more powerful suction and filtration system. More »

Diving Is Totally Allowed in the World’s Deepest Swimming Pool [Video]

God help you if you have to get your PADI certification in a public pool—you’re about to spend more than a few hours steeping in all sorts of fun bodily fluids. You’re better off buying a plane ticket to Brussels, home of the deepest—and likely cleanest—indoor pool in the world. More »