When it comes to architecture and water, the opportunities are infinite. Water in architecture has shown the invention of space and how a natural source influences the metaphors of physical structures. Water shapes ideas and creates a social consciousness about how valuable this natural component in our everyday life is. In the past, water has been a “material” in architecture for public social space, and it was used to reflect the delicacy of space. In modernity, the variation of the water use has been covered a big range. For that reason, we have created 10 architectural projects that celebrate Water in landscapes and urban fabric.
1. AntiRoom II
It was designed by Elena Chiavi, Ahmad El Mad, and Matteo Goldoni and it is in Valletta, Malta. The project’s principal idea is the conception of time and space and how it could be modified by creating a floating space or a cloud on top of the water surface. The lightness of the structure creates a delicate contemplation between the water mass and the sky. In addition, one of the wonders of this project is the public approach to AntiRoom II; it could be either with a boat or swimming. In the end, the experience is not only how to get to AntiRoom II, but also the appreciation of spaces through water and light.
2. Mar Adentro
If architecture is looking for isolation, well, this project achieved these qualities of spaces. Mar Adentro is a project located in Jose Del Cabo, Mexico designed by San Miguel Angel Aragonés. The relevance of the construction is that it focuses on monolithic forms and the surrealist composition of space, which communicates the interiors with the outdoor context. In addition, one of the achievements of Mar Adentro is the landscape design, which emerges the aesthetic qualities of water and its versatility through design. Consequently, the design incorporated technologies that contributed to the residential experience and its articulations to the site.
3. New York City Waterfalls
The monumental project is in the East River in New York, United States; and it was designed by Olafur Eliasson. New York City Waterfalls consist of a Public art installation that exposes the scale of a waterfall with Brooklyn Bridge. Nowadays, large-scale public art is part of the experience of New York City, and it looks to celebrate the New York City waterfront. Finally, the project retakes the most important natural environment qualities, such as natural resources, and compares the city’s industrial landscape with its exceptional landscape.
4. Tea Community Centre
The extreme Architecture studio Water from Design designed a poetic architecture intervention in Xiamen, China. One of the tea house’s fascinations is the basement located beneath a reflecting pool that contains water. The water roof is punctuating with a circular aperture, and it leads to having a visual connection with a circular courtyard. The interior of the space displays a Peach Garden and placing this natural symbol in the middle of the circular aperture creates a utopian atmosphere. Furthermore, the same Tea community serves as a simple pavilion above the ground, and it drives its visitors to a basement in which they can follow the program of the project. Without a doubt, the architectural project reflects a harmonious composition in which architecture and nature come together and creates an ideal architectural environment.
5. Teshima Art Museum
The museum is one of the most sophisticated architectural designs built in Takamatsu, Japan, by Ryue Nishizawa and Rei Nato. The project was commissioned for the Setouchi International Art festival around Takamatsu, a central Kagawa Prefecture city. The composition of the structure was inspired by water, and it has been strategically located close to the enormous natural water reservoir. After its opening, visitors were fascinated with two elliptical properties through the concrete structure. After its inauguration in 2010, the museum has been opened to the public, and it has exposed a complex design and a monumental continuous gesture. Finally, the Teshima Art Museum has engaged its public with its architectural interventions and minimalistic design.
6. The Building on The Water
One of the most authentic architectural interventions is in Huai’an, China and it is by Álvaro Siza and Carlos Castanheira– both Portuguese Architects. The Shihlien. The city’s chemical plant is relevant because of the most technologically advanced manufacturing processes and technologies applied to industrial construction. The Building on The Water. Its poetical intervention which retakes the importance of water to create new products, such as glass. Moreover, The Building on The Water was Álvaro Siza’s first architectural project in China, and it has impressed its clients by conceptualizing a 2 kilometers long chemical plant on water. As a result, the project takes advantage of the poetics derived from water and light, and it interconnects a complex factory suspended on the water.
7. The Infinite Bridge
The project is a design by Gjøde&PovlsgaardArkitekter in Aarhus, Denmark. The infinite connects the picturesque view from the city of Art, us, and the bridge’s structural features; this combination demonstrates how architecture retakes nature’s opportunities and transforms its perception into aesthetic structures. Moreover, half of the bridge is above water, and by placing a pure form sculptural bridge, its circle registers the water’s movement and pigmentation on the shore through time.
8. The Floating Pier
In 1970, The Floating pier was an idea that conceptualized the idea of “walking on water”- who would have thought that this idea could be represented with architecture? This metaphoric project is in Lake Iseo, Italy. Therefore, the mechanisms to structure the idea are by implementing a system that undulates the lake’s movement. The Floating Pier is a landmark of a metaphorical conception of exploring the water, and it is mainly highlighted by its vivid orange, which indicates its circulation. In actuality, the accessibility to the magnificent project is open to the public, and it operates twenty-four hours a day.
9. The Moses Bridge
The poetic architectural intervention is also known as the invisible bridge and is in Halsteren, Netherlands. The project designed by RO&AD Architecten is located in The West Brabant Water Line, where the territory suffers from flooding. The bridge is one of the south-west of the Netherlands, and the materials used for the same are wood and EPDM foil. The beauty of the bridge is its ability to surprise its occupants and its meaning; the project looks to evoke the biblical images when Moses divided the waters. In addition, The Moses Bridge generates an extraordinary approach to the pedestrians and retakes the significant importance of the moat in the history of the Netherlands. The Moses Bridge retakes the concept of parts water and generates an exploratory experience for its pedestrians.
10. Water Tower V+
Another manner of celebrating water is by designing a megastructure like Water Tower V+ in Mons, Belgium. The Water tower was built in 2013; its composition is based on a simple design that realms the enlarged volume; its repetition creates an enlarged recipient. The dimensions of these towers are 50 meters high, and its pipe has 20 meters of diameter. Also, the structure was designed to have a great adaptable property in case of any unconventional event. Moreover, one of the most delicate aspects of the design is the material used, which is translucent, and it creates an elegant and mysterious aspect to the Water Tower V+. At the end of the day, the water tower reflects a refined design that communicates the interior with the exterior. As a result, it retakes the translucent qualities of water and transforms it into a megastructure.
