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
| Mar 21, 2011
Environmental Protection Agency says D.C. is No. 1 in green
Less than a month after the U.S. Green Building Council gave D.C. top honors for green building, the Environmental Protection Agency has named the District the top green city. The EPA names the District the nation's
| Mar 18, 2011
ESD announces senior management changes
Environmental Systems Design, Inc., an international leader in the design of high performance building systems, announced senior management changes that include Raj Gupta (a member of BD+C's editorial advisory board) becoming the firm’s chief executive officer, replacing Hem Gupta, who remains chairman, and Kurt Karnatz being named president.
| Mar 17, 2011
USGBC collaborates to develop LEED Demand Response Credit
Skipping Stone, Schneider Electric and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory announced today the formation of a committee tasked with enhancing the current Demand Response LEED Pilot Credit. The team will collaborate on enhancing the credit to enable commercial building owners and LEED green building projects to earn credits in LEED for enrolling in utility or wholesale market demand response programs.
| Mar 17, 2011
Carbon footprint of public sector buildings in England and Wales to be released
The energy usage of 40,146 public buildings—including schools, hospitals, and offices—in England and Wales is being released to the public.
| Mar 16, 2011
Foster + Partners to design carbon-neutral urban park for West Kowloon Cultural District in Hong Kong
Foster + Partners has been selected by the board of the West Kowloon Cultural District Authority to design a massive 56-acre urban park on a reclaimed harbor-front site in Hong Kong. Designed as a carbon-neutral development, “City Park” will seamlessly blend into existing streets while creating large expanses of green space and seventeen new cultural venues.
| Mar 16, 2011
CALGreen v. LEED: How does California's new green building code compare to LEED?
The California Green Building Standards Code (CALGreen), the country’s first statewide green building code, seeks to establish minimum green building standards for the majority of residential and commercial new construction projects across California. As the requirements of CALGreen take effect this year, many wonder how the new code compares with other established green building standards, such as the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED rating system. Let’s review…
| Mar 11, 2011
Texas A&M mixed-use community will focus on green living
HOK, Realty Appreciation, and Texas A&M University are working on the Urban Living Laboratory, a 1.2-million-sf mixed-use project owned by the university. The five-phase, live-work-play project will include offices, retail, multifamily apartments, and two hotels.
| Mar 10, 2011
Steel Joists Clean Up a Car Wash’s Carbon Footprint
Open-web bowstring trusses and steel joists give a Utah car wash architectural interest, reduce its construction costs, and help green a building type with a reputation for being wasteful.
| Mar 9, 2011
Hoping to win over a community, Facebook scraps its fortress architecture
Facebook is moving from its tony Palo Alto, Calif., locale to blue-collar Belle Haven, and the social network want to woo residents with community-oriented design.
