Sydney could follow cities such as Paris, Copenhagen and New York that are reclaiming polluted urban waterways as swimming spots.
The City of Sydney has set out a vision for a “swimmable harbour,” releasing speculative designs by Andrew Burges Architects for swimming spots at Beare Park, Pirrama Park and Glebe foreshore. The tantalizing renders show a number of options to get people swimming in the city’s famous harbour, including a floating platform pool reminiscent of New York’s long-mooted Plus Pool, a pontoon design similar to one placed in a Paris canal, and a simple roped-off area. The council commissioned Andrew Burges Architects – one of the designers of Gunyama Park Aquatic and Recreation Centre – in 2019 to develop some options for urban swimming infrastructure, as a way of showing off what could be possible in “iconic parts of Sydney Harbour.” But these swimming opportunities could only be realized if the water quality of the harbour is improved.
“Greater Sydney Harbour is one of the world’s greatest harbours and is a state, national and global asset,” said Lord Mayor Clover Moore, who spoke on the topic at Sydney Water’s Innovation Festival on 18 October.
The Beare Park proposal by Andrew Burges Architects.
“However, its waters have also been home to industry and pollution – most sediment contaminants entered the Harbour prior to 1970, when industry practices were poorly regulated. While we have seen some improvement, our harbour is continually threatened by possible adverse impacts of population growth and development. It is also susceptible to the impacts of climate change including high rainfall intensity and resulting catchment runoff.”
Moore said it would take a whole-of-government effort to clean up the waterways so they could be used for recreation, but that council would play its part to make it happen through stormwater management initiatives, and through its collaboration with Sydney Water.
“Our focus on water recycling and stormwater management is a key ingredient in improving the quality of water in the Harbour,” she said. “The city is reducing stormwater pollution entering into the harbour by installing and maintaining stormwater treatment systems such as Gross Pollutant Traps (GPT), raingardens, wetlands and swales in our stormwater network. The City’s 250 raingardens and 47 GPTs prevent hundreds of tonnes of litter from entering our waterways.”
The potential swimming spots are all at sites where the council has led harbourside renewal projects that have protected access to the water.
At Pirrama Park, the council said, a pool would require only minimal infrastructure along the existing harbour edge to allow for swimming, while at Beare Park, there wouldn’t be much need for infrastructure to be built at all.
“Swimming in the harbour is no pipe dream,” said Moore. “Cities around the world are turning to their natural harbour assets rather than building more infrastructure. Copenhagen spent 15 years transforming its harbour from a highly polluted waterway to a swimmer’s paradise where wildlife is thriving. Once a polluted industrial port, Copenhagen city now invites people to swim in its waterways and enjoy a clean and thriving aquatic environment.”
Source: Architecture - architectureau
