Vancouver’s seawall is a great place to enjoy the ocean view if you’re walking, running or cycling, but there are few safe places to jump in the water.

A local architecture firm wants to change that and has come up with a design for a public harbour bath, similar to the popular amenity in Copenhagen.

The firm, HCMA Architecture + Design, is proposing that the city re-engage with the waterfront by creating a new type of public space on and in the water along the city’s upscale Coal Harbour waterfront.

Designs for the proposal, which would be North America’s first Harbour Deck, are on display at the Museum of Vancouver. The exhibition, called Your Future Home: Creating the New Vancouver, runs from Jan. 21 to May 15.

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One of the project’s lead designers Melissa Higgs, an architect and associate with HCMA, was in Copenhagen last summer with her family where they spent a lot of time touring the harbour baths.

Her eight-year-old daughter had so much fun, she wondered why they didn’t have something similar in Vancouver.

“My daughter said, ‘Why can’t we have something cool like this at home?’ And I thought, Copenhagen is a great livable city and so is Vancouver, so yes why can’t we have these in Vancouver?” Higgs says. “We began talking about this at work … and we decided let’s make the change we want to see.”

There are no plans yet to build the firm’s proposal, but the team is hoping that the public will be excited about the idea, and that eventually the city will help make it happen.

Higgs said the team looked for the best spot on the city’s coastline and decided on Coal Harbour because the water is safe to swim in and there is already an existing dock that could be used in construction.

The proposed location, at the foot of Bute Street, is close to the float plane terminal, but Higgs didn’t think that fumes from the fuel, or possible fuel in the water would be an issue. She said they checked with Coastal Health and the water in Coal Harbour is safe to swim.

She said in Copenhagen, city officials cleaned up the harbour and introduced the baths at the same time — both as part of the cleanup and to re-connect residents to the water.

The proposed design for Harbour Deck includes an oval wooden boardwalk, wind-shielded seating, swim lanes and wading areas, water hammocks, a raised bridge, and a four-metre high platform for jumping off into the water.

“The swimming part is huge but this is also a place to observe nature and be part of it. It’s a public space,” Higgs says, who also believes that an enclosed swimming space would contribute to Vancouver’s goal of being the greenest city because there would be renewed effort to clean up the water.

“We’re also making the case that because land is so expensive in Vancouver maybe we should move out into the water,” she says.

Higgs said the water temperature is comparable to Copenhagen where residents swim all year round.

The firm’s plans do not include treating the water in the dedicated swimming area, but Higgs noted there would be tests conducted and the water consistently monitored to ensure it was safe.

Darryl Condon, the firm’s managing partner, said the design has potential to create “healthy, delightful and sustainable environments” that strengthen the relationships of people who live the shoulder-to-shoulder city lifestyle.

“We want to encourage activity and human connection,” he said.

The design also features space for picnicking and live performances and festivals, with views of Stanley Park, the North Shore mountains and city skyline.

ticrawford@vancouversun.com