While many of the lidos I have worked on over the years are built on spectacular natural coastlines, the proposed 

 in Dublin’s financial centre has a far more gritty urban setting. Currently there are no public heated outdoor swimming facilities in Dublin and, with the nineteenth-century dock sitting empty and dry for years, campaigners saw an opportunity to create a new swim site. They commissioned Studio Octopi to produce concept designs for this new lido to support a fundraising campaign.

Over the years, other proposals for the reuse of the dock have been and gone, but the current campaign looks wider, tapping into the fact that there is a broad – and chronic – lack of health and community facilities in the neighbourhood. The lido will act as an anchor for the revitalisation of a neglected part of the city centre, introducing additional improvements including a new creche.

 Finding new life for a redundant dock

Dublin City Lido

As a designer, researcher and advocate for swim sites across the world, I connect people to water.

Chris Romer-Lee

I’ve been a swimmer for as long as I can remember. As co-founder of architecture practice Studio Octopi, I developed a portfolio of pools, baths and swim-site strategy alongside projects on dry land. In 2025 I set up my own consultancy, focused on getting more people swimming and improving access to water.

I work with organisations to design and refurbish lidos, baths and bathing places, and have become an expert in urban swimming and tidal pools. My research and writing work demonstrates how such swim sites can become a focus for healthy communities and improved ecologies. Through collaboration with government bodies I also advocate for better access to swim sites of all kinds.