Studio Octopi kicks off crowdfunding campaign for Thames Baths project
Architecture practice Studio Octopi’s dream of sparking a “swimming revolution” by creating a floating freshwater pool in London’s River Thames has today (23 April) become the subject of an ambitious crowdfunding campaign.
The Thames Baths project – which has won high-profile backing from figures including artist Tracey Emin and London mayor Boris Johnson – was last month incorporated as a CIC (Community Interest Company), meaning the public space will be run as a social enterprise.
Attention has now turned to raising the funds necessary to help get the project off the ground and into the water. Today’s launch on crowdfunding website Kickstarter, sees the team seeking £125,000 (US$188,000, €175,000) over the next 30 days to help create the floating freshwater pool at Temple Stairs off the Victoria Embankment. In return for pledging money, a tiered membership scheme offers donors free swims in the opening year of the lido.
If planning permission is granted, the Thames Baths would consist of a floating pontoon which rises and falls with the tide. The pools will be filled with River Thames water passed through a bespoke filtration system to make the water crystal clear. The designs incorporate two pools and a large publicly accessible decked area.
“Ever since we first sketched out the original concept for Thames Baths, we have always wanted to build something that benefited the community and allowed them to participate in its creation,” said Thames Baths founder and Studio Octopi director Chris Romer-Lee.
“The latter is one of the reasons why we are launching crowd-funding on Kickstarter. We want Londoners, swimmers and anyone passionate about urban waterways to show their support for this project and what better way than a very public campaign.”
Plans for the Thames Baths, have been in the works for some time now, having originally been designed by Studio Octopi for the “London As It Could Be Now” competition in 2013. The practice – which recently won an invited competition to design a new version of Peckham Rye Lido, also in London – subsequently revised the concept into the more workable and scalable design that we see today.
For more on Chris Romer-Lee and Studio Octopi, check out this profile from the the Q2 2014 edition of Leisure Management.
Thames Baths Team:
Founders and Architects - Studio Octopi
Product Manager - Matt Bamford-Bowes
Commercial Manager - Rob Saunders
Marine Engineers - Beckett Rankine
Landscape Architects - Jonathan Cook Landscape Architects
Cost Consultants - Jackson Coles
Graphic Designers - Build
Services Engineers - Max Fordham
Legal Advisors - Calvert Solicitors
Studio Octopi selected to resurrect Peckham Rye Lido
Crowdfunding campaign for swimming pool in London’s Thames
Architectural firm looks to London's River Thames for new wellness space
Europe's premier Evian Spa unveiled at Hôtel Royal in France
Clinique La Prairie unveils health resort in China after two-year project
GoCo Health Innovation City in Sweden plans to lead the world in delivering wellness and new science
Four Seasons announces luxury wellness resort and residences at Amaala
Aman sister brand Janu debuts in Tokyo with four-floor urban wellness retreat
€38m geothermal spa and leisure centre to revitalise Croatian city of Bjelovar
Two Santani eco-friendly wellness resorts coming to Oman, partnered with Omran Group
Kerzner shows confidence in its Siro wellness hotel concept, revealing plans to open 100
Ritz-Carlton, Portland unveils skyline spa inspired by unfolding petals of a rose
Rogers Stirk Harbour & Partners are just one of the names behind The Emory hotel London and Surrenne private members club
Peninsula Hot Springs unveils AUS$11.7m sister site in Australian outback
IWBI creates WELL for residential programme to inspire healthy living environments
Conrad Orlando unveils water-inspired spa oasis amid billion-dollar Evermore Resort complex
Studio A+ realises striking urban hot springs retreat in China's Shanxi Province
Populous reveals plans for major e-sports arena in Saudi Arabia
Wake The Tiger launches new 1,000sq m expansion
Othership CEO envisions its urban bathhouses in every city in North America
Merlin teams up with Hasbro and Lego to create Peppa Pig experiences
SHA Wellness unveils highly-anticipated Mexico outpost
One&Only One Za’abeel opens in Dubai featuring striking design by Nikken Sekkei
Luxury spa hotel, Calcot Manor, creates new Grain Store health club
'World's largest' indoor ski centre by 10 Design slated to open in 2025
Murrayshall Country Estate awarded planning permission for multi-million-pound spa and leisure centre
Aman's Janu hotel by Pelli Clarke & Partners will have 4,000sq m of wellness space
Therme Group confirms Incheon Golden Harbor location for South Korean wellbeing resort
Universal Studios eyes the UK for first European resort
King of Bhutan unveils masterplan for Mindfulness City, designed by BIG, Arup and Cistri
Rural locations are the next frontier for expansion for the health club sector
Tonik Associates designs new suburban model for high-end Third Space health and wellness club
Aman sister brand Janu launching in Tokyo in 2024 with design by Denniston's Jean-Michel Gathy
Ben Channon has written Happy by Design, a new book about how architecture affects our mental health. He explains how we can all be happier at home
From climate change to resource scarcity, Exploration Architecture uses biomimicry to address some of the world’s major challenges. Its founder tells us how