A floating park that sits on the water, partly under the sea level, thanks to a system of responsive air chambers similar to the ones used by submarines. That’s the plan of Carlo Ratti Associati for the Currie Park waterfront of West Palm Beach, Florida.
Italian architect Carlo Ratti, director of the Senseable City Lab at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology who spoke at WDCD Live Amsterdam 2014, says about this new project by his design studio: ‘With this project, we aim to reclaim West Palm Beach’s connection to the natural elements that surround it, and give shape to a vibrant new district that will serve as a creative catalyst for the entire city.’
The project will transform a 19-hectare vacant area on the coast of Lake Worth Lagoon, the narrow sea channel that separates the two cities of West Palm Beach and Palm Beach, creating a major new complex that includes housing, retail, and leisure facilities. A pair of leafy ramblas will allow people to stroll from the city centre of West Palm Beach directly into the middle of the lagoon.
The master plan for West Palm Beach was unveiled on 31 October. Construction will break ground next month and will be completed by 2018, allowing people to seamlessly live in their city on the ground and over the water.