Everyone remembers the classic Fred Flintstone car; a simple design made from rock, wood, and animal hide that is powered by the feet of those riding within it. Not only does the design solve the whole ‘internal combustion engines haven’t been invented yet’ thing, but it is also a completely sustainable design that provides quite a workout for the passengers.
Well, welcome to the 21st century version of the Flintstones car with the unveiling of a new design for a floating, mobile gym that is powered by, you guessed it, the people exercising within it.
Named the Paris Navigating Gym and designed by Italian architects Carlo Ratti Associati, the 20-meter long vessel can hold up to 45 people and gets its energy through the use of Technogym ARTIS machines. These machines can harness human energy created during a workout and use it for other purposes. When someone hops onto one of the vessel’s ARTIS bikes or cross trainers, they will not just be getting a workout, but they will also be helping to power the gym along the Seine as it makes its way through Paris.
The boat will have augmented reality screens to show users the quantity of energy created by their workout and data about the river’s environmental conditions, tracked and provided in real time thanks to sensors on the boat. A transparent glass cover allows the boat to be used year round and can open to allow fresh air in during the summer.
In addition to Carlo Ratti Associati and Technogym, the Paris Navigating Gym was developed in collaboration with Terreform ONE, a non-profit architecture group, and the urban regeneration institute URBEM.
Rendering courtesy of Carlo Ratti Associati
Related Stories
Sustainability | Jan 16, 2018
The nation's capital of sustainable design
Major cities, like Washington, D.C., make up less than 2% of the world’s landmass, but they contribute 77% of the world’s CO2 emissions.
Museums | Jan 11, 2018
Suzhou Science & Technology Museum will highlight new cultural district in Shishan Park
The 600,000-sf museum will be about 62 miles northwest of Shanghai.
Urban Planning | Jan 10, 2018
Keys to the city: Urban planning and our climate future
Corporate interests large and small are already focused on what the impact of climate change means to their business.
Sustainability | Dec 7, 2017
Busting the myths: What the “S-word” can mean for construction and development
Sustainability, it’s a trendy term. The problem, however, is that it’s being used in so many different ways that people don’t even know what it means anymore.
Sponsored | Sustainability | Nov 2, 2017
Galileo’s Pavilion is a true showcase of sustainability
Galileo’s Pavilion is a 3,000-square-foot academic building.
Greenbuild Report | Oct 18, 2017
Rebuild, retreat, or resist
Hurricanes Harvey and Irma expose the necessity—and limitations—of resilient design and construction measures.
Sustainability | Oct 16, 2017
A negative emissions power plant is now operational in Iceland
The geothermal power plant in Hellisheidi, Iceland was outfitted with a Climeworks DAC module.
Sustainability | Oct 9, 2017
New Arizona State University building will reach triple net-zero performance
The science and research complex will include an atrium biome filled with plants and water.
Sustainability | Oct 4, 2017
The solutions to climate change are already at our fingertips
To keep global temperature rise below 2 degrees Celsius of warming, the International Energy Agency (IEA) reports that the global buildings sector will need to decrease its total annual greenhouse gas contribution by 77% by 2050.
Green | Oct 2, 2017
Five strategies to improve energy performance in existing buildings
After performing retro-commissioning and energy audits for more than five million square feet of existing building real estate, we have developed a list of common low/no-cost Energy Conservation Measures (ECMs) that are identified on the majority of projects.
