The world’s highest outdoor swimming pool, China

The city of Nanning, capital of the Guangxi Autonomous Region in southern China, enjoys a humid subtropical climate, with hot summers averaging almost 33°C in July and August, and mild winters with lows of 10°C in January. This warm and humid climate makes Nanning a green city with a varied biodiversity of both fauna and flora, with more than 3,000 plant species. Nestled in a gently rising mountain basin on the north bank of the Yong River, a southern tributary of the Xi River, itself a tributary of the Pearl River, Nanning is surrounded by lush forests. Guests of the Shangri-La Nanning Hotel can now enjoy these green landscapes, the warm climate and unique views over the city from the world’s highest outdoor swimming pool.

Indeed, the 336 rooms of the Shangri-La Hotel occupy the upper floors of the Guangxi China Resources Tower. With 86 floors and a height of 403 m, it is the tallest tower in the city. It is a 900,000 m2 mixed-use complex with shops, commercial offices and residential accommodation in addition to the hotel. As part of the spa area of the Shangri-La Nanning, a swimming pool is located on the terrace at the top of the lower volume of the tower on the 71st floor at a height of 323 metres. It offers guests 180-degree views of the city, its lakes, parks and the surrounding gentle mountains.

Chicago-based architecture firm Goettsch Partners drew inspiration for the design of the skyscraper’s various volumes from the crystalline mineral formations. These are staggered, in a series of angular geometries, to accommodate the changing uses of its surface area. One such use, which crowns the lower volume of the skyscraper, is as the world’s tallest swimming pool. When completed and commissioned in 2021, the pool at the Shangri-La Nanning Hotel took that title from the infinity pool at the Marina Bay Sands mixed-use complex in Singapore.

We invite you to enjoy an explanation of the Guangxi China Resources Tower in this video: