AZURE 2015-03-04

17 urban
swimming
in aarhus, Denmark’s second-largest city, Basin 7 provides the kind of clean slate that urban planners
love: an area of former industrial docklands, now detoxed, looking out over the Kattegat Sea. it’s typical
to fill in urban pockets like these with residential developments and add the amenities later. city
planners from aarhus and a consortium headed by Bjarke ingels group have flipped the paradigm,
proposing an impressive string of cultural and recreational attractions – theatres, cafés, and various
bathing areas, including a beach and an outdoor pool – that will connect to a winding promenade,
creating an enviable destination for locals and visitors alike. according to mayor Jacob Bundsgaard,
“The urban space activities have been thought through first, and are ideally positioned when it comes
to wind and sun, and situated toward the attractive water basin.” The project is expected to reach completion
in time to host the international Sailing Federation world championships in 2018. big.dk – D.D.a.
20 solar-Powered
roadways
18
urban water
worlds
19
tHe inVisible
traVeller
a growing trend in waterfront development is something
called aquaforming, or turning a city’s extant
lakes and rivers into slick leisure and sports facilities.
urban plunge, an exhibit at London’s roca gallery,
gathered a few intriguing concepts that have garnered
attention in recent years. one of the most impressive
is House of Water (shown), by Danish firm Tredje natur,
where a series of dreamy islands contains various
recreational options and a waterfowl sanctuary. While
the project will likely never be realized, a more modest
version, the +pool, conceived in new York and also
featured in the roca show, could be the first step
toward a true global movement in aquaforming. The
swimming pool, shaped like a plus sign, is designed to
filter river water to be clean enough to swim in. With
such prominent backers as High Line co-founder Josh
David and engineering consultants arup championing
the plan, the pool is expected to open as soon as
summer 2017. tredjenatur. dk, pluspool. org – B.a.
Five apps to help you navigate
unfamiliar destinations like a pro
1 To stave off jet lag, Entrain resets your
sleep cycle, tracking light exposure and
telling you when to turn out the lights.
2 Beanhunter locates coffee shops
according to brewing equipment and
the brands of beans they carry.
3 using a phone camera, Word Lens
translates printed text from russian,
portuguese, german, italian, French
and Spanish into english, to make
reading menus and street signs a snap.
4 Uber, now operating in 200 cities,
lets you order a taxi or a car, then bills
your credit card automatically – no
currency required.
5 Find various exchange rates at a
glance with Denominations. – p.m.
PREFERRED MODE OF TRAVEL
air
53%
road
40%
water
5%
rail
2%
Various start-ups worldwide are angling to corner
the market on energy harvesting systems for roads
by replacing pavement with photovoltaic panels.
one u.S. company, Solar roadways, has garnered
extensive media attention with promising prototypes,
including one at a parking lot in idaho
(Popular Science listed the company in its 2014
Best of What’s New annual). But the small Dutch
town of Krommenie lays claim to being the first
to install an operable power-generating roadway.
Developed by a consortium in the netherlands,
the 100-metre-long Solaroad consists of solar cells
sandwiched between sheets of glass and mounted
in concrete modules. The top layer of glass incorporates
a skid- resistant coating, and is tempered
to withstand the weight of service vehicles. While
the pilot program now generates enough electricity
to keep just two or three households running,
more roads like it could ultimately power electric
vehicles, with the converted energy used to fund
further construction costs. solaroad.nl – m.H.
76 mar ⁄ apr 2015 azuremagazine.com