A captivating, one-of-a-kind structure will allow visitors to seemingly walk atop the Schuylkill River, right along the southern shoreline of Philadelphia’s Bartram’s Garden. Set to arrive in 2022, FloatLab is a large, walkable art installation and learning lab. It is a new project from Mural Arts Philadelphia with support from the William Penn Foundation and is being designed by Boston-based firm Höweler + Yoon Architecture.

The lime green, ring-shaped pathway will change in elevation as visitors walk through it, creating points where one is walking above the water and others where one is eye level with the river. Approaches in architectural design, marine engineering, and naval architecture inform a system of eight ballast chambers below the structure’s surface, which allow FloatLab to remain consistently level and stable as the tide moves in and out. 

FloatLab was designed as a means to explore the river and reconnect visitors to their natural setting. It functions as a space for learning along with individual exploration, able to accommodate large groups of people. The project will complement other upcoming riverside projects at Bartram’s Garden, such as a new watershed education center and freshwater mussel hatchery. 

“They envision residencies and teaching positions for Southwest Philadelphia artists,” says Mural Arts Philadelphia spokesperson Cari Bender. “And the goal is for every student in the neighborhood’s elementary, middle and high schools to be able to take advantage of FloatLab through field trips, paid youth internships, river recreation like boating and fishing and more.”

Additionally, FloatLab has been awarded an MIT CAST grant, an MIT CAU grant, along with an honorable mention for the 2018 Progressive Architecture awards through Architect Magazine.