flussbad

[flussbad] is the proposal to convert an unused river arm lining the central Berlin museum island into a "swimming pool". The project confines itself to make the natural water accessible and usable -- more a beach than a conventional swimming pool.
The project concentrates on the economical, ecological and social development perspectives for the very center of Berlin.

[flussbad] has several goals. It creates badly needed recreational facilities around the city center and it brings back authentic life to the functional waste land of the museum island. [flussbad] stops the economic nonsense of the former waterway being completely unused. The project is a module, to supply a vital impulse for the historic center which offers too little use in general. Thereby [flussbad] diminishes the mental division between the actual Berlin of the inhabitants and the representative Berlin belonging to tourists and federal agencies.

Today the river as the former lifeline of Berlin is irrelevant in the traditional sense. The river can be a strong argument for Berlin, if it is converted into a resource of recreation and life quality. This process is under way and means primarily an increasing architectural and urban orientation towards the river. The next step is the direct usage of the body of water for sport and recreational uses. As a pilot project in a defined part of the course of the river [flussbad] will aid to create the necessary leitmotiv for a change in mentality and politics.

Principally the necessary steps to convert the river arm into a swimming pool are quite simple: The upper course is used as a reed bed filter which naturally purifies the water -- a barrage at the end prevents the water to backflow. A quay wall that is generously transformed into a large stair provides access. Same limited necessities like locker rooms and footbridges complete the system.