Overview
- The 75-foot circular structure completed its multi-week tug-and-barge transit from North Carolina and was moored at Bartram’s Garden on Wednesday, where crews began anchoring it to steel piles.
- Designed by J. Meejin Yoon with Höweler + Yoon, FloatLab uses a ring of ballast chambers to stay level as tides change and a descending circular ramp to bring visitors eye level with the Schuylkill.
- Final on-site work, including construction of a footbridge and finishing touches by local contractor Commerce Construction, will continue over the summer with a planned public opening in September.
- Mural Arts and Bartram’s Garden plan to use the space for school field trips, workshops, performances, artist residencies, kayaking, and fishing to boost local engagement with the tidal wetlands.
- The project cost about $5.5 million and reflects roughly a decade of planning and delays caused by the pandemic, rising steel costs, environmental protections, and complex coastal transport logistics.