We spoke to architect Barbara Buser about river swimming as an urban phenomenon and asked her why Germany is having such a hard time with its river baths.

Barbara Buser from the in situ construction office based in Basel, Zurich and Liestal co-curated the Swim City exhibition. We spoke to the architect about river swimming as an urban phenomenon and asked her why people in Germany – think of the Berlin or Munich initiatives – have such a hard time with their river pools.

In 2017, Munich city activist Benjamin David was celebrated nationwide in the media for his way to work. He swims. Unusual for Germans, commonplace for the Swiss. In Basel summers, even people in suits are transported to work by the Rhine. Barbara Buser, what significance does water have for the quality of life in a city?

Water is an important element in every city, be it in the form of fountains, proximity to the lake or sea, streams or rivers. Water defines the possible development, often even the shape of a city. At the water’s edge, you can experience the seasons intensively, take a walk by the water, relax or do sport. In Basel, the Rhine is the largest contiguous urban space. Letting yourself drift through the city in the river and experiencing it from an unusual perspective is a great thing.

You co-curated the “Swim City” exhibition. What was the aim of the exhibition?

The aim of the exhibition was to awaken the desire of city dwellers to reclaim and use urban waters. We wanted to point out to the people of Basel, Bern, Geneva and Zurich how lucky they are to be able to swim in the river through the middle of the city. But it was also about supporting the various national and international initiatives in Berlin, Paris and New York City and encouraging them to continue fighting for the right to swim in the river.

What insights have you gained from Swim City for your own work as an architect?

I have once again realized how formative water is for a city, how important the interfaces between land and water are, and that these need to be designed extremely carefully.

Political tasks and poor water quality

River swimming is almost unthinkable in major German cities. The laborious discussions about river baths in Berlin and Munich are a good example of this. What do you think is the problem?

Three points. Firstly, that people don’t trust citizens to take responsibility: it’s easier to ban swimming than to draw up rules and take responsibility. Secondly, that the waterway laws need to be adapted – an arduous political task. And thirdly, the water quality – which is often inadequate after heavy rainfall in Berlin or Paris, for example.

Nevertheless, a number of river projects are underway across Europe. Which ones are you particularly looking forward to?

Any project that manages to make river swimming a natural part of everyday life (again). I always have my bathing suit with me when I travel so that I can take advantage of every opportunity to swim.

A detailed article on the Swim City exhibition, which identifies river swimming as an urban phenomenon in Switzerland, appeared in G+L 06/2020 on the topic of water in the city.

Barbara Buser is a qualified architect ETH and energy specialist. In 1992, she was the first woman to take the Rhine ferry captain’s exam in Basel and has regularly steered the Münster ferry across the Rhine and back ever since. Since October 2014, she and a dedicated team have been bringing new life to the Markthalle and KLARA in Basel under the motto “eat, drink, enjoy”. She has been involved in various projects in Berlin with “die Zusammenarbeiter” for years. She has also been a member of the Flussbad Berlin association since it was founded.

Make Russia great again? Architect Kiril Ass on the new urban beautification program in Moscow and the controversial goal of making Russia great again.

Anyone currently traveling to Moscow will notice that the country is increasingly turning to the national, the past and the ideas of old greatness. We spoke to architect Kiril Ass in Moscow about urban planning, architecture and power. Kiril Ass is one of the most outspoken interlocutors of his generation. He designs, teaches and writes about architecture and works in the office of Alexander Brodsky, one of the main representatives of Soviet paper architecture, as well as with his wife Nadya Korbut, with whom he designs impressive exhibitions.

Kiril Ass: Unlike his predecessor Yuri Luzhkov, Sobyanin was appointed by Putin in 2010. Luzhkov was elected by the population in more or less free elections and held the office for 18 years. He was very interested in architecture and had a lasting impact on the city. Soyanin, on the other hand, was not elected but appointed. At the beginning, the policy of the new Moscow government was liberal: new theaters were opened, libraries were renovated and Gorky Park was redesigned. All these innovations were linked to the person of Sergei Kapkov, Moscow’s Minister of Culture from 2011 to 2015. He was cosmopolitan, with a Western-oriented political style. This period could be described as the beginning of “hippsterization”. The young, urban generation was given a voice, and the city and public space were also designed for them.

What has changed?

Kiril Ass: Kapkov’s successor is more conservative. This conservatism coincided with a growing patriotism, fueled by the Crimean crisis and the crisis in Donetsk. The good news that came with Kapkov was followed by negative news: hundreds of kiosks – small stores were demolished. The reason given was that they were illegal, which was not true. The kiosks were important for public life. The city is now replacing them with a strange “urban beautification program”.

Like those glowing archways that stand around the Arbat, for example.

Kiril Ass: Exactly. There’s always a festival going on. Temporary objects are erected for this, although train and metro stations should actually be the natural urban hubs. These new objects, on the other hand, are located wherever the administration wants to make the city “more beautiful”. Most of the greenery on the boulevards comes from LEDs in the form of butterflies. When small businesses close, the city dies to a certain extent. It is like a living being that must always have the opportunity to adapt itself. This cannot be dictated from above.

What is different today? How do architects deal with this?

Kiril Ass: The Soviet Union’s message was always about the future, whereas today it’s all about the past. We have no real idea of the future. What is considered “good architecture” today ranges from neoclassicism to postmodernism to super-contemporary boxes. There is no overarching formal consensus, architects are left to their own devices and have no strong public voice.

What has happened in public building in the last five years?

Kiril Ass: There are not many public building contracts in the city. The current government is not particularly interested in presenting itself through architecture. It represents itself through empty spaces between buildings, renovating streets and parks. Urban life no longer seems to function. This deficiency is contrasted by the urban beautification program. The aim is to “make Russia great again”. The emphasis is on “again”. There is no idea of the future independent of past concepts.

You can read the entire interview in Baumeister 2/17 from page 16.