| Float It And They Will Come |
| Written by David Eaves |
| Monday, 17 August 2009 11:44 |
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Seeing as such an enormous amount of the earth's surface is taken up by water, it makes sense to start floating things other than traditional boats on it. I came across a picture of the floating church below the other day and following my initial surprise was quickly reminded of the floating camping patch I read about a couple of weeks ago. It does seem that most things can, and will be, floated on water. And why not? Our Lady On The Sea
Image Credit: Sabona Located in Mariners Cove Marina, Queensland, Australia is this stunning floating chapel which apparently, and unsurprisingly, is Australia's only floating chapel, built in 1997. Should you wish to get hitched in a unique setting this place could be just the ticket, provided you have the sea legs required. More info at the chapel's website. Rosendal Sauna
Image Credit: greayer.com This beautiful floating sauna was built in 2002 by Rintala Eggertsson Architects alongside students from Bergen Art Academy. It can be found anchored in Hardangerfjord in Rosendal village, Norway. From the architects' website: Anchored in the middle of the fjord, a level of privacy is maintained for bathers. Little winter daylight comes through transparent walls. At night sauna shines as a floating lantern. Access with rowing boat only. Descending swimming straight through the floor of water. Halong Bay School
Image Credit: Kapuanani Halong Bay is a stretch of Vietnamese coastline home to thousands of small islands, the majority of which are themselves surrounded by floating villages. As would be expected, these villages contain floating buildings of all types, including schools. Above is just one example of these educational establishments. Outside, boats are moored in order to ferry pupils from building to building. Almere's Floating Camping Pitch
Image Credit: The Pop-Up City The city of Amsterdam is home to more than 100 kilometres of canals and this has resulted in a number of local businesses taking advantage of the wet surroundings to set up shop (see the flower markets for example). Just over the water in Almere, students from the University of Amsterdam have created the floating caravan pitch seen in the photo above. The reason? I'm not sure, but I like the look of it. Big Bear Lake Toilet
Image Credit: cyanalien Before today it wasn't really something I'd ever considered, but it turns out that despite my ignorance, floating restrooms do exist. And it makes sense. Authorities responsible for a number of lakes, especially in the U.S. are looking to prohibit the discharge of sewage from boats in an attempt to maintain a certain level of water cleanliness. Hopefully buildings similar to the one at Big Bear Lake (pictured above) will be commonplace before too long. More info here about floating toilets here. Marina Bay Floating Stadium
Image Credit: Picasa User Michael Singapore's huge floating stage and its 30'000 seat gallery was constructed in 2007, and it's a beast. It can bear over 1'000 tonnes, is made entirely of steel and measures 120 metres in length. Since construction the stage has been used for parades, fireworks displays, football games and concerts. Next year both the opening and closing ceremonies for the 2010 Summer Youth Olympics will also take place on the structure. Official website here.
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