'FloatLab' To Give Up Close, Water Level Look At Schuylkill River

Philadelphia PA

26 April, 2021

12:24 PM

Description

PHILADELPHIA — Philadelphians and visitors alike will be able to walk on top of the Schuylkill River and get up close, water level experiences with nature starting in fall 2022 with a new Mural Arts Philadelphia project. FloatLab will open in fall 2022 in Southwest Philadelphia along Bartram's Garden's southern shoreline on the river. The new installation will run parallel to the natural tidal wetlands and historic Lenni Lenape sites. The Tidal Schuylkill is difficult to access. Unlike non-tidal portions of the river, such as near Boathouse Row, the tidal flow along this southern section of the river makes for a difference of almost 7 feet between high tide and low tide each day. Because FloatLab will move up and down with the changing tides, the river will never be out of reach. FloatLab features an ADA-compliant sloped platform that allows visitors to engage directly with the river at eye level. Techniques from architectural design, marine engineering, and naval architecture inform a system of eight ballast chambers below the ring-shaped walking surface, which allows FloatLab to remain consistently level and stable even as the tide moves in and out. As a lens by which to explore the river, the higher portion of FloatLab's loop can accommodate a full classroom visit or an arts audience, while the sloping ramp invites visitors to connect with the river on their own terms and at their own level