Allas Sea Pool swelling up overseas

Töölö Urban is leading an internationalisation effort alongside Bluet, Marinetek and Oopeaa to bring the concept to cities around the world. The collective has its sights set on the Norwegian capital Oslo, reports Hufvudstadsbladet.

“For us, two things are important: that the location is central so that as many people as possible can get there and that the place is beautiful,” commentedPetteri Lautso, project development director at Töölö Urban. “You should be able to feel that you are on vacation, if only for a few hours.”

The newly chosen city council of Oslo is picking up the project after a preliminary study was conducted under the previous administration. The next step is to evaluate the possible locations for the all-year-round outdoor spa.

“We want it to be an island where you can swim,” said Sverre Jervell, former Norwegian diplomat and representative of the Sukkerbiten citizen group. “We would love to have a floating swimming pool such as the Allas Sea Pool in Helsinki.”

In the not-so-distant future, the project could open up for tenders to unearth the best solution for the city. Töölö Urban and its partners are the only ones so far with a proof-of-concept sitting at the heart of Helsinki with a price tag of a little over 10 million euros.

“We’re looking into the other big Nordic cities too,” elaborates Lautso. “The global Allas concept is based on enabling citizens to spend time together in the middle of the city, according to sustainable values. We believe this concept will resonate globally as well.”