It’s no secret that Richmonders love a great rooftop hangout. Rooftop bars at Quirk Hotel, Kabana and The Hof have quickly become popular hotspots. Rooftop pools are also becoming popular with downtown apartment buildings allowing residents to enjoy the city sunsets without leaving home.
Valley West Apartments, a project under construction in Richmond’s Shockoe Bottom area, will have Richmond’s newest rooftop hangout. But how do you put a pool on the roof of a building in the heart of busy downtown Richmond?
Michael Stephens, KBS project manager at Valley West said, “We spent months planning the pool placement which was a a huge milestone for our project. Maneuvering the truck loaded with the pool around the congested, narrow streets was actually the most difficult task, but in the end the placement went well.”
KBS, the general contractor of the project, lifted the 4,500-pound stainless steel pool, made by Chester Pools, 170 feet and then lowered it onto the rooftop of the five-story building.
The tower crane, operated by Century Concrete, lifted the pool off a truck parked on 20th Street, hoisted it above the five-story apartment tower, and then swung around to lower it down onto the built-in sun deck. Together, the pool and the rigging weighed 7,500 pounds.
The building will have 156 apartment units, including a mix of one-, two- and three-bedroom floorplans, ranging from 650 to 1,400-square-feet. Most units feature private balconies.
In addition to the rooftop pool and lounge, residents will have access to a fitness room, an interior courtyard with a bocci ball court, pergolas and fire pit, conference facilities and a rooftop clubhouse with a full kitchen and fireplace.
Valley West Apartments was designed by Poole and Poole Architecture.
KBS also constructed the American Tobacco Center, located next to Valley West on 21st and Grace Streets, with a similar rooftop pool in 2006.