As soon as we feel the first summer wave, we are ready to dive into a pool and cool off. With the rising heat, we all need modern swimming arenas at our disposal. To make it easier for Londoners, some swimming enthusiasts have taken it upon themselves to get a floating pool. The proposed project is to build this pool on the River Thames in Kingston.
London Might Get A Floating Pool On River Thames
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The architecture firm Studio Octopi has collaborated with Thames Baths to work on this project and give London its first-ever floating pool since 1875. Yes, you heard that right! It has actually been 148 years since London folks got to wipe off a tiring day in a floating lido. However, the plan of turning that fact around is just around the corner. It offers hot tubs, saunas, changing rooms and a cafe at River Thames.
However, these plans for the floating pool are still speculation. Swim England, The Outdoor Swimming Society and Tracey Emin, have endorsed this pool but there is no concrete surety if the plan will be executed. In March 2023, Thames Baths revealed their discussion for the pool with Kingston Council in 2021 via an Instagram post.
They revealed that the council was keen on the idea of an outdoor pool but rejected it later to focus on another leisure project. In the same post, they added that the good news is that they and Studio Octopi are still here. They’re eager to investigate how a new swim site in Kingston might be able to benefit everyone.
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Thames Baths Still Hopes For The Project To Be Fruitful
As per the reports from Time Out, the co-founder of Studio Octopi Romer-Lee stated, that Kingstonians are left without the option to swim. He emphasised the need for Kingston Riverside to have at least a temporary swimming facility in the river. He made the point that a barge pool could be used to create a safe and supervised river swimming facility.
Uncertainty exists regarding Kingston Council’s desire to pay a portion of the temporary river pool’s expenses. Thames Baths keeps the faith, though. Romer-Lee claims that the UK must catch up in order to have all of these outdoor pool configurations constructed and operational. He stated that the nation wants to swim and that new swim sites are necessary to ensure that they can do so safely.
What do you think of London perhaps getting a floating pool?
Cover Image Courtesy: Website/Thames Baths