Green Daily

Burning calories for the planet is becoming a hot concept for designers who want to appeal to today's urban über-hip. Last month, a nightclub in London figured out a way to harness the power of dance to lower its electric bill, now designers in New York City are trying to float an idea to put workout-powered barges in the Hudson and East Rivers.

Using the kinetic energy created by patrons pumping away at exercise bikes and elliptical machines, these floating gyms could both purify water and ferry passengers across NYC's waterways in an eco-friendly way. The brainchild of architect Mitchell Joachim, River Gym isn't the only project that's trying to tap into the vast amount of energy expended in workouts -- but it's definitely the most intricate I've come across.


Instead of simply using workout power to offset a conventional gym's electricity usage, Joachim's idea attempts to do a lot more. I think that's the coolest thing about the design -- and, sadly, that's probably why it will never get off the ground.

The idea is to make these gyms part of the NYC transportation system, easing the traffic on ferry's and bridges and allowing for a more direct route for people getting across the rivers. So, it's not really intended to transport the work-out people, it will have lazy riders on board as well.

The River Gym concept also calls for a water purification system that pumps New York's polluted brackish through filters and then back into the river. I don't know how much pumping it would take to make a real difference -- but how cool would it be to measure your workout in meaningful increments? Forget how many reps you did. You could say: I pedaled across the East River 4 times. Or: I purified 200 gallons of water.

To the billionaires out there reading this -- please finance the River Gym, that'd be awesome. Thanks in advance.

[via Inhabitat]