Tag: SWIM

Swim on the Subway: Taipei Train Cars Transformed into Sports Venues

[ By SA Rogers in Art & Installation & Sound. ]

Subway cars in Taipei have become swimming pools, basketball courts, baseball fields and track lanes to get residents amped for the upcoming 2017 Summer Universiade, an international multi-sport event for university athletes. While the installations mostly consist of photorealistic photographic murals stuck onto the floors, the illusion comes together pretty nicely, especially in the case of the swimming pool, which matches the existing subway car chairs and poles.

These ‘moving sporting venues’ will transport lots of tourists attending the events, and the city hopes to add to their excitement. The Universiade is the second-largest international sporting event after the Olympics, set to begin on August 19th and end on August 30th, and will include competitions in 22 different sports across 70 venues.

Images by: Taipei City Government Department of Information and Tourism, @skywu0326, @chi._.851229, @nikoleko1007

Underground Illusions: Anamorphic Parking Lot Turns Flat Paint into Sculpture

You’re driving through an underground parking garage when suddenly, the colorful geometric shapes splashed all over every surface pop out into three dimensions. Try not to crash your car! When …

The Warning: Murals Painted On Fragments of a Melting Glacier

The face of a giant bathing woman seems to rise up from the icy waters of an undisclosed Arctic location beside the fragmented remains of a rapidly melting glacier, snow-capped mountains in the …

Holy Art! 13 Spectacular Secular Installations in Sacred Spaces

Imbued with a sense of reverence, not to mention all those beautifully vaulted spaces, cathedrals and other sacred spaces can be stunning settings for art installations of all kinds, from …

[ By SA Rogers in Art & Installation & Sound. ]

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July 22, 2017
Ship & Swim: Mobile Cargo Container Pool & On-Demand Hot Tub for Homes

[ By WebUrbanist in Design & Fixtures & Interiors. ]

More stable and versatile than a typical temporary above-ground pool and less likely to tank your home real estate value than a built-in one, this modular plug-and-play swimming pool is the best of both worlds.

Developed by Canadian company Modpools, these converted shipping containers measure 8 by 20 feet (or 8 by 40), can be used year-round and can be converted for use as a hot tub on demand (via a segmenting module).

Using the relatively light but sturdy shape of the container as a framework, these pools can be lifted and loaded onto trucks and trains (just like any other inter-modal unit). They can also be plugged in and set to go in minutes, then rearranged on a lot should a resident decide to expand their existing home or reconfigure their yard.

Historically, having a carved-out backyard pool has been known to actually reduce real estate values, leading many homeowners to fill theirs in before putting a house up for sale. With this solution, the pool can simply be relocated to a new residence or resold and used somewhere else.

Currently priced around $ 27,000 they don’t come cheap, but offer correspondingly more flexibility — the twice-as-long 40-footer is also not much more expensive at $ 35,000 for those with the space.

The pools come with bonus technology features, too, like the ability to control the lighting and heating remotely, letting users crank up the warmth while on the way home to take a swim in the pool or a soak in the hot tub.

How To: Buy, Design or Build DIY Cargo Container Homes

What’s involved in buying, designing and building cargo container homes that are more than just art projects? Cargo container homes are a perfect example of thinking outside the box while …

Open Swim in MN: Nation’s First Naturally Filtered Public Pool

After years of design and development, the first naturally filtered public swimming pool in the United States is set to open later this month in Minneapolis, the largest city in the Land of …

Cargo Architecture: 10 Shipping Container Homes & Offices

With the green theme growing in popularity across every stretch of the world, more and more people are turning to cargo container homes for green alternatives for office, and even new home, …

[ By WebUrbanist in Design & Fixtures & Interiors. ]

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May 17, 2017
Super-Deluxe Swim Platform: Rent This DIY Floating Sauna

[ By Steph in Destinations & Sights & Travel. ]

In Finland, where the tradition of sitting in steamy saunas is even more appealing in frigid winter, a group of enterprising DIYers has built their own multi-level floating spa, sun deck and dive platform out of recycled materials. The Saunalatta features a lower deck, a sauna cabin that transforms into sleeping bunks in the summer, and a second-story platform with a lookout, and it’s available for rent at the cost of about $ 410 per day.

In a nation that boasts roughly one sauna for every three residents – about two million in total – it’s not surprising that Finns come up with some creative variations. Up to fifteen people can cram into the sauna at a time, where the temperature can get as high as 194 degrees Fahrenheit. Then, they jump right into the icy waters of the lake before repeating the ritual.

In the summertime, the cabin offers sleeping space for five on simple platforms, with hammocks offering lounge space. On the roof terrace you’ll find a table and chairs, a BBQ and a 19-foot diving tower. Made of recycled and reclaimed materials, the simple shack-style houseboat also has a fridge, heated shower and a sound system wired throughout the vessel.

The Saunalatta Facebook page has lots of wistful-daydream-worthy photos that’ll appeal to water-lovers in either hemisphere, since it’s cozy and warm in the winter and the perfect home base for swimming in the summer, including some fun images of the creators testing out the boat’s durability with a trampoline.

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Floating Finnish Sea Sauna: Relaxing Multistory Steam Boat

Northern Europe is known for its sauna culture, evolved to combat the cold and gather people in the dark of winter, but this seaworthy version adds a …
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14 Super Places to Swim: From the Bizarre to the Beautiful

It’s been said, Don’t wait for your ship to come in – swim out to it. Consider a bit of travel to visit theses 14 places to swim, from the bizarre to the …
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17 Extreme Real Houseboats & House Boat Design Ideas

This collection spans the extremes of design and brute-force ingenuity: from the obscenely luxurious to the absurdly simple.
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[ By Steph in Destinations & Sights & Travel. ]

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January 19, 2016
Open Swim in MN: Nation’s First Naturally Filtered Public Pool

[ By WebUrbanist in Architecture & Public & Institutional. ]

After years of design and development, the first naturally filtered public swimming pool in the United States is set to open later this month in Minneapolis, the largest city in the Land of 10,000 Lakes. Located close to the Mississippi River in Webber Park, the project draws on European precedents but Minnesota law had to be changed to allow for this novel, chemical-free approach.

A series of filtration strategies including appropriate plants, bacteria and microorganisms serve to keep the pool organically free of harmful bacteria and nutrient build-ups. Some city swimmers will still need to accustom themselves to the unusual look of the water, appearing more like that of a lake than a chemically-cleaned pool, but for most Minnesotans this should not prove too difficult.

The main 500,000-gallon swimming area has space for up to 500 people in the water at once and a 13-foot deep end for diving, while an adjacent bioengineered pond helps to cycle and clean water from (then return it to) the human-occupied side. Over 2.5 miles of underground and underwater pipes push and pull water through this complex but effective system.

The project has not been without problems, including delays and additional costs, but as the first of its kind in the country there were bound to be some setbacks along the way. Migrating ducks and toads, for instance, attempted to settle the pool while it was under construction and had to be scared away and moved along, respectively. Poorly-chosen fill had to be replaced, weather pushed back elements of construction and various other surprises found on-site contributed to slower execution. Still, this ground-breaking approach represents a solid test case for other states interested in pursuing similarly sustainable organic pools as well as a legislative precedent for other areas with similar laws currently prohibiting naturally filtered designs (lead image via CBS MN).

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Swim the Thames: Pair of Pools for London’s Polluted River

Inspired by planned Super Sewer that will reduce pollution in London’s central waterway by 96%, this audacious design aims to take advantage of a future …
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Shop in a Swimming Pool: Neglected Space Turned into a Store

Until recently, this indoor swimming pool on the vacant ground floor of a 1970s apartment building in Tokyo was just an empty space, dry and disused for years. …
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No Mirage: Unlock a Secret Pool Hidden in the Mojave Desert

An art installation with a side of rugged adventure, the Social Pool is a project open to the public but locked and with a location only revealed via …
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[ By WebUrbanist in Architecture & Public & Institutional. ]

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WebUrbanist

July 15, 2015
Swim the Thames: Pair of Pools for London’s Polluted River

[ By WebUrbanist in Architecture & Public & Institutional. ]

Inspired by planned Super Sewer that will reduce pollution in London’s central waterway by 96%, this audacious design aims to take advantage of a future in which it is finally safe again to swim in the River Thames. Unlike a similar proposal for New York City’s Hudson River (more on that below), this bold plan proposes to use unfiltered river water to fill its swimming holes.

Studio Octopi and their partners at Civic Engineers and Jonathan Cook Landscape Architects ask doubters to imagine the experience of clean swimming right in the heart of the city, with incredible urban views framed by rich regional plant life.

One fixed-in-place pool would be replenished each time the surrounding tides rise over its high water mark (like coastal rock pools). The other would itself lift and lower, floating up and down with the river’s natural highs and lows, thus providing swimmers with a sense of the currents but within a protected space.

More on the project’s context: “In 1865, Sir Joseph Bazalgette’s London sewage system was opened. 150 years later the sewers are at the limits of their capacity. In 2012, 57 combined sewer overflows discharged 39 million tonnes of sewage into the River Thames. Thames Water is planning the Thames Tideway Tunnel, or ‘Super Sewer’, for completion in 2023.”

Meanwhile, across the pond in New York, the Plus Pool reached its crowdfunding goal some time ago but is a long way from completion. Though both propose to use water from the rivers they are set in, this one, unlike its British brethren, assumes filters will be essential.

The design is also somewhat more contemporary – the plus shape is clean, modern and separates the pool into four primary zones for different use cases.

Whether either proposal will be realized remains to be seen, but one thing they may have in common: selling the public has already proven easier than pushing their respective cities into accepting the plans and taking action on them.

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Walk on Water: Hydro-Floors Hide Secret Swimming Pools

Pools displace space. But what if you could have the best of both worlds: a usable space or surface replaced by a body of water when you want it?
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Garden Bridge: Lush River-Spanning High Line for London

A unique green retreat and pedestrian pathway is set to rival elevated parks around the world, including New York’s own High Line, right in the heart of …
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Dive Deep: 9 Over-the-Top Luxury Private Swimming Pools

Swimming in the lap of luxury, these private pool owners have managed to buy a piece of fantasy not for sale to most of us with less than luxurious means.
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[ By WebUrbanist in Architecture & Public & Institutional. ]

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January 28, 2014
INSIDE THE SWIM ’10 SHOOT

Go behind the scenes with photographer Russell James and 11 of the worlds sexiest supermodels for an insiders look at the Victoria’s Secret Swim 10 catalogue, shot on location on Necker Island.
Video Rating: 4 / 5

Scanout Photographer Yngve Ask went to the Northern Arctic to photograph King Crabs. This became the ultimate test for the new Nikon D3 and Subal N3 and produced the best Under Water Photos ever! www.scanout.com
Video Rating: 4 / 5

May 20, 2011