In the exhibition, which could be visited at the Roca London Gallery before coming to Barcelona, it is possible to view the selection of drawings, models and photographs of the five international projects such as + Pool (Family & PlayLab), in New York; Thames Baths (Studio Octopi) and King's Cross Pond Club (Ooze & Marjetica Potrč), both in London, Copenhagen Harbour Baths (Julien De Smedt Architects) in Copenhagen and Flussbad (realities:united) in Berlin.
The adapted exhibition in Barcelona also includes a project created especially for this occasion by OAB (Office of Architecture in Barcelona), the architecture studio of the architects Carlos Ferrater and Borja Ferrater. The latter is also a professor at UIC Barcelona’s School of Architecture.
The aim behind all of the projects presented is to recover and transform rivers and urban ports into new spaces for leisure.
Also, 'Urban Plunge' contains various projects created by nine students from the UIC Barcelona School of Architecture, as well as the Higher Technical School of Architecture, UPC; the Higher School of Architecture in La Salle, the UREL and the Higher Technical School of Architecture in Reus, URV, within the framework of a competition organised by Roca.
Due to their potential and demographic significance, the students from the school have chosen the Besòs river in order to create their proposal. The project should take into account future development which may take place in Barcelona and be able to adapt to certain social, economic, cultural and environmental aspects and conditions that are continuously evolving.
The exhibition is open between 27 January and 23 April. On 7 April the prizes for the competition will be awarded. The jury members include Janes Withers (a designer and curator of the ʻUrban Plungeʼ exhibition in London), Estel Ortega (architect), Félix Arranz (architect) and Carme Pinós (architect) as well as a representative of Barcelona City Council.
