Exhibition design by Mentsen in Roca Barcelona Gallery
 

Water samples were collected from project sites and compared to EU bathing standards
 

 

Urban Plunge: New Designs for Natural Swimming in our Cities, Roca Galleries, 2014 – 2016

Through their galleries and the WeAreWater Foundation, Roca, the world’s leading bathroom company, is deeply engaged in water-related issues. We have collaborated with the company since 2014 on shaping exhibitions that explore different aspects of water cultures and design for a more sustainable future.

Urban Plunge: New Designs for Natural Swimming in our Cities focussed on recent moves to repurpose natural waterways for urban swimming. The exhibition showcased proposals and built projects centred around natural baths and swimming ponds which suggested imaginative ways to enjoy water in our cities, and challenged us to think about how we use and abuse the urban water environment.

The exhibition was shown at Roca London Gallery in 2014, and at Roca Barcelona Gallery in 2016. There, in addition to showcasing international projects, we commissioned a new project Pool-Bridge Besos and held a student competition to explore the potential for engaging with Barcelona’s rivers and port.

Photography Nina Sologubenko 

 
 

Installation: Pool-Bridge Besòs
 

Pool-Bridge Besòs by Office for Architecture Barcelona (OAB), Barcelona
 

Installation: Copenhagen Harbour Baths
 

Copenhagen Harbour Baths by JDS Architects, Denmark
 

 
 
 

Student proposals in Urban Plunge competition, Barcelona

Competition winner: Floating Water by School of Architecture.UIC - Barcelona
 

 

Exhibition design by Mentsen in Roca London Gallery, designed by Zaha Hadid Architects
 

Exhibition introduction mapping swimming in London’s past
 

Archive photo: Two boys dive into the River Thames from the Embankment near Westminster Bridge in May 1934 (Getty Images)

River Thames water sample

Installation graphic
 

Installation: +POOL

 

+POOL by Family & PlayLab, New York
 

 

Thames Baths Project by Studio Octopi, London
 

House of Water by Tredje Natur, Denmark
 

 

At the end of the exhibition visitors were invited to vote