mare/Wed., 5 – Thu., 6 August 2026
Paul Steinbrück from POOL IS COOL for Flussbaden Bozen-Bolzano
SIT-PLU Public Program
Upcoming
Picture by Pool is Cool
Picture by Pool is Cool
Picture by Pool is Cool
Lungomare launches Flussbaden, a collective open to citizens to discuss Bolzano’s rivers as shared spaces — and even swimmable ones.
For those who would like to be part of it, the First Meeting will be held on the 5th and the 6th of August. The occasion is the invitation extended to architect and co-founder of POOL IS COOL, Paul Steinbrück, to share the experience and knowledge of the Bruxelles-based organisation that, since 2016, has been working to bring outdoor swimming back into urban life.
The encounter aims to reflect on what kind of processes can enable the transformation of the river into a public and conscious space — a place to enjoy, inhabit and develop a relationship with — while balancing freedom and risk, and fostering a dialogue between individual and collective responsibilities, as well as between private and public dimensions.
If you are interested in being part of Flussbaden or you want to know more about it: info@lungomare.org
The Programme
Wednesday 05.08.2026, Lungomare (Rafensteinweg 12)
18:30 — Flussbaden Bozen-Bolzano
First meeting for a citizens’ collective supporting a swimmable Bolzano: an exchange on desires, expectations and collective imaginaries.
19:30 — Collective dinner in Lungomare’s garden
Everyone is invited to bring something to eat and share.
20:30 — POOL IS COOL. Public presentation with Paul Steinbrück
(Lungomare / language: English)
What are the differences between the Seine and the mountain rivers of Bolzano? The meeting aims to open a reflection on which processes can make the transformation of the river into a public and conscious space possible: a place to inhabit and experience — beyond being simply swimmable — where people can connect with water while balancing freedom and risk, and activating a dialogue between individual and collective responsibilities, as well as between private and public dimensions.
Thursday 06.08.2026
18:00 — POOL IS COOL. River action with Paul Steinbrück
A practical and theoretical session on the banks of the Isarco River, in front of the Druso Stadium, dedicated to observation, listening and building a relationship with water.
Paul Steinbrück is a German architect based in Brussels and co-initiator of Pool is Cool, an NGO advocating for the revival of outdoor swimming in Brussels. His work explores the role of the architect as activist, combining hands-on design and building, research, and public debate, with a particular focus on societal questions around sustainability and ecology, inclusiveness and power.
Since 2024 he has been also working as a teaching assistant at architecture faculty of KU Leuven, in 2026 he joined German engineering firm Polyplan as advisor for the development of outdoor swimming projects, with a focus on urban natural pools.
In his teaching and research activities he explores how these issues can inform design in relation with and of public space, encouraging critical reflection on the social impact of architecture and the ways spatial interventions shape urban life and community relations. Paul studied in Germany and Finland and worked with Sauerbruch Hutton in Berlin and 51N4E in Brussels, alongside smaller independent projects, before turning his focus to self-initiated activist work.
