'FloatLab' Art Installation, Classroom To Be Built On Schuylkill River

PHILADELPHIA, PA — Visitors and native Philadelphians can already enjoy miles of the banks of the city's iconic waterway thanks to the Schuylkill River Trail. But now, thanks to a unique collaboration between artists, conservationists, and city officials, riverfront-goers can walk on the water itself.

The new creation is being called "FloatLab", and it will be a 75 foot wide public structure that goes out into the middle of the Schuylkill River in southwest Philadelphia.

The installation is a collaboration between two distinct entities that have overlapping goals: Mural Arts Philadelphia and Bartram's Garden.

"I love what Philadelphia is becoming," the popular South Philly Facebook page shared. "Dare to be different by honoring and maintaining the past but creating something for the future generations."

FloatLab will be live by the summer of 2026.

The city says it will offer a "water level view" of the skyline, while also providing fishing access, art galleries, docks and launch points for kayaks, and much more. It will also function as an educational center and outdoor classroom for local high schools and colleges.

Artists and engineers will draw from architectural design, marine engineering, and naval architecture to create eight "ballast chambers" below the surface of the lab, which will allow it to remain level and stable regardless of the tides.