Designer Blayne Ross has unveiled a new concept which aims to bring a beach to New York City's Hudson River. City Beach NYC comprises a reclaimed barge topped with sand that would visit the area during summer months. To help bring his vision to life, Ross plans to launch a crowdfunding campaign in the near future.
The City Beach NYC barge concept features retail spaces, restaurants, and sunbathing spots on the upper deck, with changing rooms and a marine science exhibit down below. The exhibit will detail the history of the Hudson River, its water quality, and local marine life. However, unlike the Floating +Pool concept we covered previously, there will be no swimming pool on the barge and no opportunity to dip a toe into the Hudson – which is probably for the best, given its well-documented pollution.
Ross told Gizmag that he intends to use recycled materials wherever possible, and that his team is actively seeking companies to help enable the barge to operate completely off-grid. Light tubes will also be used to direct natural light from outside to the lower level.
The finer details on the materials and sustainable features of the City Beach NYC project are still to be worked out at this early stage, though the designer did reveal that the barge will sport a waterfall which could help oxygenate the local water.
City Beach NYC will soon be the subject of a US$200,000 crowdfunding campaign on Crowdtilt. The plan is to offer free entry to visitors and make a profit from amenities provided on-site, such as umbrellas, beach chairs, and cabana rentals.
Those interested can sign-up to a mailing list via the source link below.
Source: City Beach NYC
As for the waterfall helping to oxygenate the water, that would do very little.
Average flow at the Federal Dam (at the upper end of the 154 mile lower Hudson) is 13,600 cubic feet per second; daily average flow has been as high as 152,000 cubic feet per second and as low as 882 cubic feet per second. The flow increases a lot as other rivers join up on the way to the ocean.
How much would that waterfall run through?
The entire lower Hudson is a tidal estuary. As the tide comes in, the flow reverses so brackish water could get all the way up to Federal Dam.
Some people just don't have a grasp of how large things like the rivers, atmosphere and oceans are.