A swimming centre which encourages the use of natural resources through wild swimming

Our society is geared toward the general conception that “time is money” and therefore we must always strive for productivity; and so much is reflected in the architecture that makes up our cities. This thought is only reinforced by the notion that play is for children and therefore associated with immaturity. Additionally, development driven by profit often overshadows the true needs of a city, its citizens and further disconnects us from nature.

Studies have shown the immensely positive impact participating in play has on the wellbeing of a person. Stimulating creativity, social interactions and improving cognitive skills. Therefore, if People, no matter their age, have a psychological need to play, it is imperative as a society that we provide and endorse safe spaces for play to occur. We also find ourselves in the midst of an ecological crisis, and if we don’t learn to coexist with nature and share our city space with it, the repercussions will be catastrophic both on an environmental level, and a subjective mental health level.

I was dedicated to creating a proposal whose purpose was not to generate profit; but rather to stimulate a sense of community through “play”. Designing a program which is open to any age: a lido. I used the Floating Harbour’s natural water source to reconnect people to nature in a sustainable manner while experiencing the health benefits associated with wild swimming. The massing was designed to increase views into the lido from the city to draw people in and make it evident something “fun” is happening here. While organising the spaces to maximise social interactions and playful moments. Additionally, views from the lido to Ashton Court (a country park) were emphasised to enforce the biophilic effect of the proposal and raise awareness of the ecological crises by highlighting the harsh juxtaposition of the cities’ concrete vs nature's green. The idea was to create a public space where one can take a break and disconnect from the busy city and relentless “money machine” by reconnecting with nature and their inner child.

The results of the thoughtful massing, roof design and material choice culminated into a new addition to Bristol which sits on the site unimposing its presence on the rest of the city and context, but simultaneously standing out just enough to capture people’s attention. Whilst inside the proposal you are very aware of being within the city given its viewpoints, however the atmosphere is perceptibly different from the rest of Spike Island. This is a place to relax, socialise and play without worries.