Yarra Floats?
All flippers on deck
STUDIO POOL SCHOOL
The lower Yarra River was the source of life of Melbourne but has been abandoned as a place to live as the city grew and river polluted. Our design is to re-connect people to this place by designing a floating pool on the river. In order to show the arrival of European settlement, the pool looks like a ship hull with two main compartments, lower tranquil pool and upper party pool. The two contrasting spaces allow connecting with the Yarra in different aspects, under, on and across the river. By using a single route, we guide people linearly amplifying the contrasting space from outside, into void then to open topside.
Key Words
Yarra River, Floating pool, Typology of pools natural & manmade, History of swimming
PROJECT IDENTITY DIAGRAM
The key concept can be simplified down to designing a proper floating pool that has more than one floor.
SITE PLAN
The idea of combining floating pool and a ship was the main driver for this project. Most floating pool currently sits on the surface of the water and act as mere filter that divides surrounding water and the pool water. Our concept was to build the pool up and act as a ship and how it’s staying afloat despite that it weighs tons. By doing this, we can create separate rooms for different types of pool it will house.
Thus final form has top pool where it is like a top deck of a cruise liner and bottom pool resembles a container ship and its tranquility.
PLAN TOP POOL
PERSPECTIVE VIEW OF TOP POOL WHERE ALL THE PARTY HAPPENS
The top pool’s design was heavily influenced by type of space a cruise liner would have on the top deck. Everything seems to be resort-like relaxation, from palm trees to fully decked area with recliner chairs where you can leave bath towel to save your seat. The main pool on this floor is single body water which is divided into different zones by changing the height, having the deep pool at the middle. As you can see on the perspective view, you are to engage the Yarra as if you are in a cruise ship docked on Melbourne’s port.
PLAN LOWER POOL
PERSPECTIVE VIEW OF LOWER POOL WHERE YOU CAN ENJOY TRANQUIL ATMOSPHERE
To contrast this, you are exposed to tranquillity within the lower pool. This room’s theme is to mimic the inside of a transport containership, this is achieved by using mostly metal material and amenities such as ladder and windows shaped like a ship window. The columns that holds the upper pool in place also enhances this atmosphere of enclosed cave. In order to reach the main pool you have to walk down a ladder than down stepping pods of water thus giving certain experience through the journey even before reaching the main body of water.
CROSS SECTION OF SITE SHOWING FLINDERS STREET ON THE LEFT AND CROWN CASINO TO THE RIGHT
PERSPECTIVE SECTION SHOWING THE TWO CONTRASTING POOLS
The whole structure is designed to create a linear journey. You see the party pool from afar but the side of this pool looks like a ship. Then boarding the pool via a pier, you are suddenly exposed to the tranquil lower pool. You can only reach the upper pool by walking upstairs and again you are exposed to the middle of an active pool but this time completely opposite type of experience. This allows the audience to be surprised constantly despite that you knew how the pool looked from the outside, by using a secret compartment, you feel different when you pop out into middle of a space active and alive.
THE 3 TYPES OF ENGAGEMENT WITH YARRA RIVER: UNDER, ON TOP AND ACROSS
The three types of viewpoints on this pool allow people to perceive the river in three different ways. By looking under the water, you can observe the dark secret of Melbourne where all the contamination is and hopefully this creates awareness and allow future cleanse of contamination. The surface of Yarra is essentially what Yarra river is to Melbourne now, activities like rowing, ferrying and looking at the river all falls under this category but looking on the river from cantilevered window can be quite spectacular. Lastly, from the top of the pool you can view the city as if you are seeing it from middle of the river. This experience could be only achieved via ferry ride and in the middle of a bridge yet ferry always moves and bridge isn’t a nice place to stand and look.
EARLY ASSIGNMENT ANALYSING WARRANDYTE POUND BEND, UPPER YARRA
The pound bend, part of upper Yarra in Warrandyte, has a distinct feature which is the pound tunnel. This tunnel was made due to gold rush in Warrandyte and the miners wanted to drain this part of the Yarra to maximise their profit. The dam is gone now and water flows both side but it shows nature takes what men left behind and work with it.
HISTORY OF YARRA RIVER WITH THE SETTLEMENT AND EXPANSION OF MELBOURNE
The change of Yarra River over time, human expansion changed and manipulated the river system that made our lives easier but destroying the ecology. Today we see the river as a prime real estate view nodes where properties are more expansive if you are exposed to it.
COMPARING THE RIVER AND SURROUNDINGS: CURRENT MELBOURNE, BEFORE SETTLEMENT AND EARLY EUROPEAN SETTLEMENT
Yarra River was essential to native Aborigines as well as flora and fauna as it was fresh water that fell onto the salt water allowing for thriving bio-diversity. People used to drink straight from the river and even dolphins came up to the falls as they ate small fishes that lived in the salty freshwater. However, when the European settlers came one of the first thing they did was to blow the waterfall for ships to be able to travel upstream. This destroyed the ecology of water system by making the salt water flowing up making the water not drinkable and driving all the flora and fauna that depended on this ecology. Furthermore, industrial development contaminated the water and we stand today where you have to go to hospital ASAP if you fall into the river.
New Urban Metabolism movement diagram
I was tasked to research the Moskva Pool which was initially the floor of soviet parliament. The construction was halt due to WW2 and when soviet had no money to fund this project, the concrete floor was filled with water and transformed into a circular pool. This pool has been demolished as the cathedral, which stood at the same spot before demolished for the parliament, wanted to rebuild their house of God replicating the old design on the same spot.