Sydney is the latest city to pursue a floating pool scheme as it looks to further revitalize its harbor

2021-10-25T19:17:00-04:00

Moore's office commissioned Australia-based Andrew Burges Architects (ABA) to reimagine what Sydney Harbor could look like if there were sections accessible for public swimming. Her proposal mentions that climate change and an increasing population will both change Sydney's makeup in the decades to come, and with green space at a premium, cleaning up the harbor and making it swimmable could be a good way to give residents a way to cool off.

Cities like Copenhagen, which has successfully converted much of its canalway into programmable public park-type spaces, are serving as a model for Sydney and other world metropolises with similar water park-like developments proposed for the near future.

Sydney Harbour has seen shark episodes on and off throughout the past century, leading the cities to install safety netting and a host of harbor-adjacent public pools that are already very popular. The Harbour itself faces a serious flooding threat by mid-century in addition to a cleanup effort that will abate pollution caused by runoff from some of the reclaimed land around the Harbour.

"This vision rests on improving water quality," Sydney's Lord Mayor Clover Moore told CNN. "Some parts of our harbor are highly polluted and cleaning up these waterways so they can be used for recreation and to improve biodiversity will require cooperation across all levels of government."

Related on Archinect: The long-awaited Plus Pool officiall...

New York City seeks proposals for floating East River public pool

2019-09-20T18:30:00-04:00

[New York City's] Economic Development Corporation is seeking ideas for a floating pool that would filter the water of the East River to allow for safe swimming. A similar idea was first announced in 2010 by the nonprofit +POOL, which has been working with the city for years. The pool would likely be built between the north side of Brooklyn Bridge and the south side of Pier 35 on the Lower East Side, according to a request for expressions of interest.

According to 6sqft, New York City was once home to as many as 15 floating river pools, a tradition that originated in the 1870s.

Proposal submissions are due no later than 5:00 PM on October 4, 2019.

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Sydney is the latest city to pursue a floating pool scheme as it looks to further revitalize its harbor

New York City seeks proposals for floating East River public pool