People do come up with some pretty far-out ideas.
Aisha Gani writes at the Guardian about one recent idea — to put a public swimming pool in the Thames River.
“An online crowd-funding campaign to build a £10m open-air swimming pool in the middle of the river Thames in central London is to launch [this] month. Initial designs for the Thames Baths, which is to open next year on the Victoria Embankment if planning permission is granted, feature a 25-metre by 10-metre main pool, filtration system and pool-side decking.
Chris Romer-Lee, 42, an architect from Studio Octopi said the group was looking for sponsorship and wanted Londoners to get behind the scheme. The London swimming-pool designs have received high-profile backers, such as The Outdoor Swimming Society and award-winning British artist Tracey Emin, who is to feature in the promotional video.”
Romer-Lee says, “There’s something very wild and liberating being in open water. I don’t get this so much swimming inside indoor pools where it’s hot and smelly. The decked areas are open to anyone who wants to come along, so you don’t have to come along just to swim.”
The #backthebaths campaign can be found at Kickstarter. More here.
Photograph: Picture Plane Ltd/Thames Baths Project
Artist’s impression of the proposed Thames Baths project.