Transparent Natatorium

Harlem, New York
Columbia GSAPP
22,000 SF
2012

Water can become spatial when its container is considered. Situated on an undeveloped corner lot on NYCHA property, the aquatic center’s design leverages the unique geometries of the swimming pool to create a porous, dynamic storefront for swimming.

Through the use of aquarium glass, the entire section of the pool is made visible to the street, advertising its function and motion to the city. The voids in the underside create porosity and many modes of circulation. The undulating clerestory system of roof strips is an extrapolation of the parallel phases of motion occurring in the pool lanes beneath.