Floating Champagne bar could fight Paris floods

An architect has unveiled her vision for a futuristic floating Champagne bar which will not only offer a sophisticated spot to sip Champagne, but help combat flooding in the French capital.

Credit: Margot Krasojevic

The ultra-modern bar, set on the banks of the River Seine, comes from the imagination of Beijing-based architect Margot Krasojevic who has designed it to potentially become part of Paris’ flood control system to help battle the city’s continued threat of flooding.

Dubbed the Grand Cru du Siecle, the circular pavilion features an enclosed circular glass bar hung above a swirling whirlpool which pulls water downward into underground canals creating a waterfall effect. The water is then diverted to outlying lakes and reservoirs, according to the architect’s proposal.

The bar itself would be housed beneath a shell like roof boasting an open air terrace and views across the Seine.

Credit: Margot Krasojevic

Presenting her design, Margot Krasojevic, said: “With the present threat of Paris flooding, this pavilion bar acts as part of Paris’ flood control infrastructure. Located on the banks of the River Seine the pavilion consists of an enclosed circular glass bar cantilevered over a bell mouth spillway which allows water to enter from it’s entire perimeter, this water is taken, via submerged canals, upstream to the impounded lakes and nearby reservoirs. The laminated glass circular bar is zoned to direct water through it’s ramps and into the spillway situated under a moveable glass clad floor. The form guides the flood away from the street level.

“A raised glass corridor, floats over the Seine as water rises and flows through the rest of the design. The industrial function of the bar is combined with an ethereal monocoque canopy shell that houses the light and reflective nature of the champagne bar’s interior, etched glass gives an effervescent feel with the lattice spillway filtering water as it is channelled through the underground network. Paris’s ornate manhole covers the entrances to underground conduits, this project attempts a dialogue between architecture, Paris water infrastructure and substructures as a way of managing a flooded city.”

Among the architect’s other innovative designs is a hydroelectric vertical prison located in the middle of the ocean which uses a waterfall system to power turbines and create electricity.

Credit: Margot Krasojevic
Credit: Margot Krasojevic