In New York
For Everyone
+ Pool is an initiative by a group of architects and designers to build a floating pool in the rivers of New York City... and we need your help.
The project was launched with the ambition to improve the use of the city's natural resources by providing a clean and safe way for the public to swim in New York's waters. This site is the culmination of Concept Design for + Pool and we are looking to build a team of interested organizations and professionals to continue the development of the project into a buildable proposal.
Our next step is to partner with local cultural, developmental and environmental groups to
raise public and private interest, identify civic potential and approach the municipality, while working with engineers, planners and specialists to refine the social and ecological performance of + Pool.
To find out more, contact us at info@pluspool.org.
+ Pool is for you, for your friend, for your mom, for your dad, for your girlfriend, for your kids, for your boss, for your bartender, for your tamale guy, for your other girlfriend, for New York City, for everyone.
An offshore reflection of the city intersection, + Pool both exemplifies the dense, busy character of New York City and offers an island retreat from it.
When the city's elite used lower Manhattan as a resort in the 1800s floating spas were located just off the Battery. After the Civil War the huge influx of immigrants required bathhouses in the Hudson and East Rivers as many were without proper bathing facilities in their homes. In the early 1900s improved plumbing infrastructure and increasing water quality concerns closed the last of the river-borne pools, relocating aquatic leisure activities to more sanitized and inland sites.
In 1972, the Clean Water Act set forth the goal of making every body of water in the country safe for recreation, and in 2007 the Floating Pool Lady - a reclaimed barge now located in the Bronx - brought back the first semblance of New York's floating pool culture in almost a Century.
Today, as the appreciation for our city's natural resources becomes increasingly crucial, a permanent floating pool in the river will help restore the water culture so integral to New York City.
+ Pool is a small but exciting precedent for evironmental urbanism in the 21st century. The comprehensive, city-wide plan to increase the environmental quality of New York City by 2030 - a plan set forth by Mayor Bloomberg in 2007 - is the ideal framework for + Pool, an innovative project that exemplifies the potentials of the city's natural waterways.
Each pool can be used independently to cater to all types of swimmers, combined to form an Olympic-length lap pool, or opened completely into a 9,000 square foot pool for play.
Whether as a compliment to a thriving park or catalyst for a growing one, the pool can serve as a destination for weekend visitors, an island haven for busy locals, and a symbol for the surrounding neighborhood.
+ Pool filters bacteria, pollutants and odors through concentric layers of water-cleansing materials integrated directly into the pool walls, leaving only safe and swimmable water that meets the CDC and EPA's standards of quality.
1. Exterior Perforated Metal Screen
2. 100 Micron PE Filter Textile - Filters out large parasites
3. 15 Micron Polyester Filter - Filters out medium parasites
4. Iodine Impregnated Beads - Kills bacteria, viruses and parasites
5. Void Chamber - Continues iodine process
6. Granulated Active Carbon - Removes iodine smell and kills remaining parasites
7. Interior Perforated Metal Screen
The multitude of ongoing park projects currently reshaping the shores of both the Hudson and East Rivers provide an array of potential sites for the project.
A. East River State Park
B. Brooklyn Bridge Park
C. Riverside State Park
D. Battery Park City
E. Chelsea Piers
F. Governor's Island
The project is an ideal catalyst for public-private partnerships interested in improving public space and expanding the appreciation of New York's natural resources.
