Where to refresh in summer? Examples of interesting city decisions

Summer is coming and inhabitants of big cities are brought up against intense and scorching heat. Fountains, parks and gardens became more popular, but city beaches are the most available and favorite places for people relax. You know the citizens of large megalopolises are deprived of that pleasure to swim in clean rivers or lakes because all water bodies are not only in pollution but often completely dangerous for bathing.

In New York City the problem of lack of relax places was and always will be urgent and topical. There are about 80 beaches in the city and every day 100 000 people go there. You can imagine how banks and coasts transform into rubbish heap during one day.

Neptune Foundation project's organizers created an interesting decision of the problem. In 20th century in the Hudson River there were more than twenty floating bathrooms which were located in populous city districts and where people could take bath regularly. Neptune Foundation architects took this idea from the past to create a modern floating swimming pool for citizens. And it was no necessary to build something new: they just re-equipped an old cargo barge.

In 2005 they bought an old 260 meters barge that worked on the Mississippi river early. Works were started in the Bolinger shipyard, New Orleans, and were finished in Brooklin. The new swimming pool can contain 100 000 liters of water that comes through special filters right from the gulf. The electricity system is completely autonomous and doesn't require communications from the city. Simultaneously 175 people can rest here, there are 7 swimming tracks, children' zone, shower, locker rooms, bar. The whole weight of this construction is 1830 tons. All expenses are $ 4 000 000.

On the opening ceremony this poll was called Floating Pool Lady. More than 50 thousand people visited this place during the first year. In 2008 Neptune Foundation handed over the pool to the New York City administration gratis. The pool is situated on the embankment in Brookline Bridge Park and every winter it returns to the dockyard till the next summer. Organizers want to move the object every summer for all inhabitants of different city district could enjoy bathing and swimming in open air.

City activists around the world realize such bold and extraordinary projects and their main aim is to do territory more attractive for residents and tourists. The problem of lack of bathing and swimming places was decided also in Portuguese city of Guimarães. Fountain Hackers project transformed city fountains into public swimming pools.

Architects and designers wanted to give people a possibility not only to admire the fountains but also to use them, make there places for swimming, rest, sun bathing, washing and even having a dinner. The Fountain Hackers project was created by Like Architects Studio and designer Ricardo Dorado.

Five fountains were remade and every one of them got a name, conception and design. Certainly some of them were re-equipped, for example, stairs and small hills like in swimming pools appeared. Very pretty yellow plank beds appeared in Beach Loung Fountain, where people rest after work. In Barbecue Fountain small tables and umbrellas stay right in water and people can meet each other and have a lunch sitting ankle-deep in fountain. Playroom Fountain are filled of plastic balls from children rooms and you can bath on inflatable mattresses in this colored pool.
The main idea of the project is to remind people that many years ago fountains were used like places for bathing and sources of drinking water but later transformed into decoration items. Like Architects organizers guessed right that their decision will refresh Guimarães life and make city territory more attractive for people rest. 

by Valentin Ivanov

For more information please visit ID-reel.com

Or join us on Facebook and LinkedIn

The Cheonggyecheon brook. Money stream from Seoul.

 There is a brook along the whole Seoul centre, the citizens and tourist like walking here. Fountains play here and banks are faced by decorative tiles and good facing stones. Water makes fresh microclimate at the riverbed which is particularly pleasant in sultry summer. This place is described in all new Seoul’s guidebooks. This stream is called Cheonggyecheon and it has its own, very interesting story. On the one hand it’s too unusual, but on the other hand it characterizes modern South Korea.

 

It would seem what history can this paltry brook have? In fact this rivulet was here all the time. It played an important part in Seoul life: as far back as in the first half of XV century there were great deepening works according to Korean king’s order. After Korean war, in the 50s the district around the river was very demolished, a lot of shacks appeared along the banks because of emigrant influx from North Korea, and sewage flew into the Cheonggyecheon. It changed into stinking cesspool. In 60s the local authorities decided to struggle with those insanitary conditions. They pulled down the slums, resettled people, put the brook into underground pipe and built a motorway above this place. The plan was fulfilled promptly and with high quality as usual. The expressway appeared here in 1970 and it was the double-level one.

More than thirty years later the situation in Korea changed. The state had more money, and the citizens needed more recreation zones and ecologic places for walking. And it was necessary to attract tourists by something amusing. And right then they remembered about the old “buried” Cheonggyecheon brook. The main initiator of such a project was today’s Korean president Lee Myung-bak. By the by his “green” project is not unique: for example we can remember “the Seoul Forest”. A plan of the Cheonggyecheon restitution in the Korean capital looked absolutely fantastic! According to the plan it was necessary to take down the thoroughfare completely, break up, manage and decorate the river bed, fill it with pure water. And all these in two years and with $ 300 million.

So, the plan was fulfilled, and the modern relaxation zone opened for visitors since 2005, thousands of tourists and citizens walk here every day. All guidebooks without information about the Cheonggyecheon stream became out of date in one day. This project changed Seoul plan and face and corrected its sightseeing list very much. Per se the new Cheonggyecheon represents a gaunt landscape park at the very city centre. You can sit on the stones, wet your legs in limpid waters and admire numerous bright fountains.

In the river head there are some fountains: like a candle, like a fireworks and not big double-level fountain. Downstream there is a fountain-tunnel, water here flows out from 42 holes from the height of 5 meters and makes a great high arc above the promenade avenue. One more famous fountain is a rhythmic one, water here pours down on the marble wall and with special highlight and music it makes an impression that the fountain moves rhythmically.

 The Cheonggyecheon is too long, it is about 10 km. There are 22 bridges above the stream but it is possible to cross it by stones installed in special way.

Besides fountains there are some “walls” there. The Hope Wall adorns both sides of the Cheonggyecheon quay, it expresses pain and suffering about the division of Korea into two countries and the hope of their consolidation. The wall is faces by ceramic tiles where 20 thousand Koreans from all over the world (and from North Korea also) wrote about necessity of the country to became integral again. The Culture Wall is painted by five modern artists. Paintings on the Pangcheangdo, the hugest ceramic wall in the world, are devoted to the 22nd King of the Cheosong dynasty journey to his parents’ grave.

Even the slums along the Cheonggyecheon brook were reconstructed. There are five two-storied houses which are very similar to those ones where the poor men huddled together 40 years ago. And which is more the interior of that epoch is rendered everywhere.

Countless markets and small restaurants cover the Cheonggyecheon brook neighborhoods. Right here in the Kwangyang market the biggest Seoul street of lunchrooms called Mokchakolmok is situated. “The fried fish alley” turns into “The whole boiled chicken alley”. All it works even at night.

Water in the Cheonggyecheon stream is pure enough, it is possible to see fishes there and parents allow their children to swim in the river. But the constructors could not let natural mountain water to the brook, there is tap water there. Probably it is the only one disadvantage of the project. May be it will be eliminated in the near future.

by Valentin Ivanov

For more information please visit ID-reel.com

Or Join us on Facebook  and Linkedin!