The architectural representation of swimming ranges from the clinical or ‘hygienic’ to variations on the theme of ‘pleasure.’ In Aldo Rossi’s drawing for Cabina dell’Elba, the changing rooms politely express the optimistic character of the swimmers. Yet, representing the figure of the lifeguard—whose role routinely shifts from supervisor to custodian, instructor, medic and so on—is not quite so straightforward. A lifeguard needs swimmers, but working day after day amidst so many happy and/or helpless people can become unbearable. More often than not, the lifeguard is reduced to an infrastructure that facilitates or manages others’ pursuit of pleasure. Here, an aesthetic of ‘controlled fun’ is materialised though stacked diving platforms that fuse together the elements and facilities of the swimming complex into a figure that is equally joyful and disconcerting.