The project is inspired by the floating pools found in other European capitals, such as the "Badeschiff" on the River Spree in Berlin.
A new "beach" is to be built in Lisbon similar to this one in Berlin / Wikimedia commons
A new "beach" is to be built in Lisbon similar to this one in Berlin / Wikimedia commons

Lisbon is going to be home to a new artificial beach with a capacity of 800 to 1100 people: it will be built in the northern basin of the Parque das Nações marina, more commonly known as "Expo" and will have a natural and eco-friendly 230m2 swimming pool with treated water from the River Tagus, which will be ready for swimming in 2022. The project is inspired by floating pools found in other European cities, such as Badeschiff on the River Spree in Berlin or La Villette on the Seine in Paris.

The project is said to be eco-friendly because this natural swimming pool will operate with water from the Tagus which will be pre-treated with screening, micro-filtration and ultrafiltration by a membrane, according to the news reported by the Expresso newspaper. Hugo Xambre Pereira, administrator of the company Águas do Tejo Atlântico, the entity responsible for the project, assured the weekly newspaper that "the water of the river has not had big problems since the work done in the Alcântara water waste treatment plant" and that "even triathlon trials are already being held in the Tagus now".

Other places were considered for this new "bathing area": the area surrounding Cais das Colunas or in the riverside areas of Santos, Belém and Pedrouços, but the choice went to Parque das Nações, above all for safety reasons.

The future artificial beach is expected to measure around 2400m2, including a summer terrace, solarium, cafes and changing rooms, and was announced as part of the Lisbon European Green Capital 2020 programme, officially launched on 11th January 2020, in the Eduardo VII park in Lisbon.

Article seen in: Capital Verde: Lisboa vai ter uma ‘praia’ (Expresso)