fluorescent green circular platform by höweler + yoon to float on pennsylvanian river

coming in 2022, on the schuylkill river in philadelphia, pennsylvania, ‘floatlab’ by höweler + yoon, will emerge as a ring-shaped floating platform that invites people to engage directly with the river. located along the bartram garden’s southern shoreline, the fluorescent green structure will take shape as a sloping ramp reconnecting locals and visitors with their natural surroundings; they can wander atop the river, but also there are spots where they ‘sink’ under the water surface having an eye-level view of the waterline. 

all images courtesy of höweler + yoon

apart from a circular walking platform, höweler + yoon combines a laboratory and community center that can accommodate a big crowd for educational functions. the visitors are able to collect water samples, explore a floating garden, or participate in various riverside projects like painting classes, or freshwater mussel hatchery events. 

the innovative ballast system guarantees that guests will always be able to enter the platform at an eye-level view. more specifically, a system of eight ballast chambers below ‘floatlab’ —including techniques of architectural design, marine engineering, and naval architecture— will form a stable structure that remains on a consistently level even with the tide.

project info:

name: floatlab

architects: höweler + yoon

design team: höweler + yoon architecture, eric höweler, j. meejin yoon, david hamm, jonathan fournier, elle gerdeman, max jarosz

location: philadelphia, pennsylvania, U.S.

size: 75′ diameter (190.5 cm)

sponsors: william penn foundation, national endowment for the arts, redevelopment assistance capital program, institute of museum and library services, knight foundation, U.S. department of housing and urban development