FlowLine
"Like rivers of old, the path connects every human soul."
From the first rivers of civilization to today's public spaces, water has always united. Flowline uses this timeless connector to guide all bodies seen and unseen through a shared, accessible architectural experience.
"Timeless Flow" is a spatial narrative designed around the idea of invisible accessibility a route that doesn't separate, but connects all bodies, regardless of their abilities. Instead of using conventional pathways that often isolate disabled users, we propose a shared journey shaped by water. A glass-covered surface runs through the site both underfoot and alongside walls with a visible and tactile stream flowing beneath it. This stream follows the required circulation path, leading all users from the reception to the pools.
This water pathway can be felt underfoot by the visually impaired, traced by hand along walls, and intuitively followed by all. It's not a distinct or exclusive route it's the path itself. Inspired by how rivers historically brought communities together, this invisible current becomes a unifying force of movement.
At the pool, the journey continues through a gently sloping shallow ramp integrated seamlessly into the design eliminating the need for separate elevators or mechanical lifts.
Everyone enters the water the same way, at the same pace. By challenging architectural conventions and embracing sensory design, Timeless Flow offers a quiet, inclusive, and poetic experience one where accessibility is no longer an add-on, but the essence of space.
This sensory path becomes especially meaningful for visually impaired users who can follow it with ease, while also being symbolic and functional for everyone else. It does not label, separate, or direct users based on their physical abilities it simply invites all to move forward together.
Water has long been a symbol of life, healing, and connection across civilizations. In this design, it becomes the unifying element that dissolves thresholds metaphorically and literally. It flows across levels, crossing architecture like a river once crossed ancient cities, bringing people together and creating a common rhythm of use. At the destination point the pool the principle of invisible inclusivity continues.
Instead of isolated elevators or mechanical lifts, a gently sloping ramp is integrated into one corner of the pool, mimicking a natural shoreline. This slow incline allows entry with grace and equality, whether on foot, in a wheelchair, with a child, or simply by choice. It is an intentional defiance of conventional pool design made possible by the competition's invitation to rethink spatial rules and embrace more human-centered solutions.
Timeless Flow is a gesture toward a future where accessibility is not designed after the fact, but instead leads the design silently, gracefully, and powerfully. Here, the invisible becomes the experience, and the path becomes a collective memory.
(From competitor's text)
The jury noted that the proposal introduces features that give the pool a more recreational character, creating an attractive, user-friendly space, but making the pool unsuitable for training at the sports center. The addition of wayfinding and orientation elements is positive, bringing clarity to the path to the pool, although it remains difficult to get there. The presentation is neat and well executed, with aesthetic and inviting renderings. However, the jury felt that the proposal could better integrate the specific needs of a university sports center to maximize its functional efficiency and further improve user experience.
(From jury report)
11 scanned / 11 viewable
- PDF presentation
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- Axonometric Drawing
- Axonometric Drawing
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- Presentation Panel Excerpt
