Melbourne may soon receive a new choice location to surf, courtesy of local firm Damian Rogers Architecture and engineering giant Arup. The two companies recently unveiled a concept floating surf park slated for the city that features a beach and wave pool with height-controllable waves. Arup reports that it'll be the first of its kind in Australia.
Bringing to mind Rotterdam's RiF010 and New York's +Pool, the new beach and surf park would be located in Victoria Harbour and measure 16,000 sq m (172,222 sq ft). At this stage we've no details on exactly how the structure would float, but the wave pool would be self-contained and receive its water directly from the surrounding harbor, once it has been filtered and heated to swimming water standard.
Surfers would be able to enjoy waves up to 1.5 m (5 ft) high, and 160 m (524 ft) long, though the waves could also be made smaller for beginners. Other activities slated for the park include swimming and kayaking, beach soccer, shopping, and cafe facilities.
"The city of Melbourne has some amazing attractions, but we don’t tend to use the water that surrounds us as well as we could," says Damian Rogers, of Damian Rogers Architecture. "This surf park concept would create a beach lifestyle in the heart of the city."
Damian Rogers Architecture and Arup are currently undergoing talks with potential financial backers and may also turn to crowdfunding to raise the necessary money for the project to go ahead.
Sources: Arup, Damian Rogers Architecture
