London office Studio Octopi has revised its proposal for a floating swimming pool in the River Thames, to become a pontoon of three freshwater pools in a new location beside Temple underground station.
Studio Octopi's initial Thames Bath proposal comprised a floating pool that could incorporate the tidal waters of the river, which will be clean enough to bathe in after the arrival of London's new sewage tunnel – dubbed the Super Sewer – in 2023. However the team has now unveiled plans for a pool that can be in place much sooner, using either freshwater or recycled rainwater instead of river water.
Tomorrow, Friday, is the inaugural UN Habitat World Cities Day and Studio Octopi will present their design for the Thames Baths because has been selected by The Guardian to represent London in their World Cities Day Challenge. 35 other cities from around the World are participating, each with their representative and own big idea for making cities even better places to be.
Studio Octopi will present their proposal to the Cities Day Challenge Jury between 1:12pm and 1:24pm GMT tomorrow (Friday October 31st). They need your support on Twitter or via The Guardian comments box using their #BacktheBaths. You can follow all the presentations on twitter using #CitiesDay.
"We have slightly shifted our emphasis from the vision of 20 years' time to the more practical – how we can get this thing sorted in the short-term," architect Chris Romer-Lee told, "It will be a long time before the Thames water will be clean enough," he added. "So now we're working with marine engineer Beckett Rankine to develop a bespoke pontoon of three pools fed with freshwater."
A new location was chosen, as the low tides at the original site beside Blackfriars Bridge would make it impossible to float a pontoon without disturbing the ecology of the riverbed.
"We chose a site on the north bank, one of the forgotten stretches of the London river walk," explained Romer-Lee, "It's a strange urban situation that needs some attention."
CREDITS. DATA SHEET.-
Architects.- Studio Octopi.
Collaborators team.- Landscape Architects.- Jonathan Cook Landscape Architects. Marine Engineers.- Beckett Rankine. Strategist.- Matt Bamford-Bowes. Graphic Designers.- Build. Cost Consultants.- Jackson Coles LLP.
Ambassadors.- The Architecture Foundation, Patricia Brown, Caitlin Davies, Tracy Emin, Shelagh Fogarty, Owen Hopkins, Jenny Jones AM (Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb), Jenny Landreth, The Outdoor Swimming Society, Amy Sharrocks.
Year.- 2013.
Location.- Victoria Embankment, London EC4Y, UK.
