It's a hot summer day, you're sweaty and uncomfortable, and there's a river full of cool, clear water right beside you. Do you jump in? Not if you're in New York City, as the rivers that flow through that city are too polluted for swimming ... or at the very least, that's the perception that most people have of them. Three young entrepreneurs, however, have proposed a way of getting New Yorkers into the Hudson, East and/or Bronx Rivers. It's called the +Pool (Plus Pool) - a public swimming pool that would float in the river, allowing people to swim in filtered river water.
The +Pool is the brainchild of architect Dong-Ping Wong, and designers Archie Lee Coates IV and Jeffrey Franklin.
The 9,000 square-foot (836 sq.m.) pool itself would consist of four modules, which would be joined together into a + configuration - hence the name. This shape would allow for it to be divided into a Children's Pool, Sports Pool, Lap Pool and Lounge Pool, although two end-to-end modules could also serve as an Olympic-length lap pool, or the whole thing could just be used for splashing around.
River water would flow into the pool through permeable walls, which would be composed of three layers. The first layer would filter out things such as wildlife, debris, oil and sediments. The second layer would stop finer particles, including algae, bacteria and suspended solids. The third and final layer would kill bacteria and viruses.
Since the concept was launched last June, there has reportedly been a lot of interest in it. Engineering firm Arup even contacted the trio, volunteering its resources for project development. Wong, Coates and Franklin are now working on building a partial pool, to test the filtration system and to demonstrate the feasibility of the idea to the City of New York. Ultimately, they hope to have the complete pool up and running by 2012.
They are currently trying to raise funds, in order to make it all happen. People interested in donating can visit the +Pool webpage.
