the lidoline in london by [Y/N] studio

based out of the UK, [Y/N] studio is helping london’s canals curate existing forgotten or underused green spaces, kickstarting re-generation in their wake. built to originally carry materials across the length and breadth of london to places of industry, the systems have now lost their main purpose. being largely defunct with the canal becoming a place for leisure rather than a place of commerce, the project proposes the insertion of a clean, safe ‘basin’ for where to swim.

the ‘lidoline’ flips the regents water-way as it was originally intended, connecting raw materials (people/workers) to the place of production, making swimming a viable alternative to cycling or walking to work. the routes could be formed by a breathable, multi-layered membrane, filtering detritus and bacteria at decreasing scales. bio-diversity and cleanliness would be further improved by incorporating oxygenating reeds in key locations. the ‘lidoline’ would form a new network for london, making existing spaces greater than the sum of their parts, rather than blindly multiplying under-used, functionless green spaces.

[Y/N] studio: the lidoline in london by  a lido station near a gasometer in hackney allows people to change/shower whilst also offering informal seating space.

[Y/N] studio: the lidoline in london by  at night the lido stations could be transformed into popup cinemas/venues.

[Y/N] studio: the lidoline in london by  in the winter months a thin gauze of material is inserted into the water, reducing its depth and allowing it to freeze, forming a new high speed ice-skating link through the capital.

[Y/N] studio: the lidoline in london by scale map showing the extents of the lidoline.

[Y/N] studio: the lidoline in london by abstract map showing the line in the context of london.

[Y/N] studio: the lidoline in london by at key locations new outdoor lidos are formed allowing outdoor swimming competitions or recreational swimming

designboom has received this project from our ‘DIY submissions‘ feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication.
see more project submissions from our readers
here