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This is happening: a figure-8 luxury resort in South Korea

Ahead of the eight ball

With its shimmering silver façade, gravity-defying shape and expansive pool, it's easy to think this resort design won't ever make it off the drawing board

But no: plans are underway for the architect-designed space to be completed by 2018 - just in time for the PyeongChang Winter Olympics. The show-stopping resort is being built by the sea, just five kilometres from the Olympic stadium facilities, and will house a staggering 946 rooms spread across 29,493 square metres.

This is happening: a figure-8 luxury resort in South Korea (фото 1)

An entire floor will be devoted to an open-air swimming pool that links the building's two main structures, with additional pools at ground level. The ground floor will also be home to restaurants and luxury stores.

This is happening: a figure-8 luxury resort in South Korea (фото 2)

The gravity-defying figure-8 design is the work of Seoul-based Architects Planning Korea, who devised the unusual shape to offer panoramic ocean views for the majority of the resort's rooms. Bizarrely, the design is loosely based on the ecological structure of plankton, an oceanic theme that will carry through to the hotel's proposed recreational and healing facilities.

This is happening: a figure-8 luxury resort in South Korea (фото 3)