There is something that seems incredible wasteful about a room full of energetic bodies running, rowing and stair climbing all on the spot. What if we could harness this energy while simultaneously invigorating the experience of the gym? Sounds like a daring idea but Architect Mitchell Joachim has come up with the unique concept of the River Gym, which achieves this and much more.
The River Gym would be propelled by human exercise, which would transport it across the water, back and forth between two points. The concept involves various sized River Gyms – this allows some to function with only a few members while other larger floating units would require a superior sustaining population and would only be used in peak hours. Extra passengers on board would increase the vessel’s mass and thereby amplify the intensity of the exercise. The River Gym would follow the trajectory of a predetermined computer navigated loop, which would easily allow passengers to also travel to and from multiple points in the city. This would also create some ease on transportation burden from ferries.
At all stops would be docking facilities, reception desks, lockers, health food kiosks, bathrooms and all other necessary gym facilities.
Another important aspect of the design is the experience of the gym user. The River Gym would be a much more inspiring way to get fit and healthy, as passengers would be presented with awe-inspiring views across various waterfront panoramas as opposed to a static, restless view of a wall in a room. Joachim has also suggested that the River Gym be equipped with onboard purification devices to help mitigate water pollution.
It’s definitely an interesting and impressive idea; it’s nice to see that the concept of urban gyms, like the people it contains, is making real progress.
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