The Water City

ABA were engaged by City of Sydney to look at opportunities for Harbour Swimming as water quality in the Harbour continues to improve through water sensitive design initiatives. The projects outlined here were speculative in nature, as part of the City’s 2050 Vision to re-imagine the Harbour edge with the future harbour as a safe and clean water body, exploring potential harbour locations for swimming. None of the proposals are endorsed by City of Sydney as actual projects in specific locations.

The Water City project envisions an active civic foreshore dotted with harbour baths playing host to a range of active and passive recreational opportunities. The project proposes a series of pools on the water’s edge, including baths at existing foreshore parks, pools that reconstruct the water’s edge and floating pools tethered to shore in the event of water quality still being resolved. Biofiltration pools and remedial ecologies at water thresholds are also explored as a strategy to maintain water quality and bring awareness to water sensitive practices.

The project illustrates the potential for transformative interventions that bring the pleasures of swimming to many locations within the Harbour as water quality is improved. The pools also offer opportunities for civic or cultural programs and serve as an extension to the cultural, civic, and ecological fabric of the city, initiated many forms of recreational activity at more active and vibrant waters edge.

With cleaner harbour water, there are a number of existing foreshore parks that would require minimal intervention to the foreshore edge to be ready for harbour swimming. Pirrama Park, Barangaroo Reserve and the Glebe Foreshore Walk all have engaging foreshores that anticipate a more active harbour edge that could accommodate swimming as part of their recreational offering. These parks provide great access to water and moments of containment that make them ideal for conversion to harbour pools.

In addition to being a swimming pool, bio-filtration pools and remedial ecologies at run-off and water thresholds could play a role in maintaining water quality and bring awareness to water sensitive practices. The varying loose edges of water and pockets of ponds and planting could extend the experience of harbour water by capturing water in the transition between fresh and salt water, making visible the transitions of water management and filtration.

Beyond being a place to swim, the harbour pool could incorporate and extend other civic or cultural programs, including festivals, shows, outdoor cinemas or screenings. These co-located events and programs could run on a seasonal basis either in fixed locations or on floating structures allowing for flexible, adaptable programming. As a new hybrid recreational, civic and cultural space, the harbour pool has the opportunity to be embedded within the civic and cultural fabric of a growing Sydney while providing new ways to experience the Harbour.