2024 - Water Illumination Tower

Category
Daylight in Buildings - Region 2: Eastern Europe and The Middle East

Students
Łukasz Wojciechowski, Maciej Szymański & Julian Mularuk

Teacher
Michał Dybko

School
Politechnika Warszawska

Country
Poland

CONTEXT: CONSERVING LOCAL ARCHITECTURE Water towers are a form of elevated structure equipped with a water tank, which is constructed at a height that enables it to produce a pressurized water system. They can be found by the thousands across Europe, in many cases still serving their communities while simultaneously providing an architectural marvel in the region. However, with time passing many have been made redundant and as a result have fallen into a state of disrepair and abandonment, with even the locals being unaware of their existence. This project aims to develop a universal method of repurposing non-functional water towers.

IDEA A major aspect of this repurposing is opening the towers to the public, making it function as a rain bath, which combines elements of a steam bath with sensory stimulation achieved with natural light and water. Since most of the local people were never able to access the inside of those structures, they are shrouded with quite a bit of mystery. The interior accentuates this mystery with its cave-like abstract design, creating features imitating the interaction of rough water and natural light refracting through it.

PROJECT When first entering the interior, a viewer is placed in a tall cylindrical room with a staircase spiraling to the top. The walls are scaled with bubble-like spheres created from ETFE foil, which are illuminated in spots by natural light. At the top of this room, a special funnel is constructed, which allows light to enter from higher up floors and creates a gradient of light inside. The floor above the main room functions as a viewing deck and relaxation space, where users can observe the surrounding towns. Another crucial feature in this project is the rain column that falls through the center of the water tower. The original water tank shall be refitted to hold a mechanism capable of letting droplets at such a rate and radius, that it creates a continuous pillar of falling water. This water travels the whole height of the building, starting above the viewing deck, and finishing in a special cauldron, situated in the middle of the main room. This cauldron not only collects the water droplets, but also evaporates the water without heating it up, creating steam that fills and warms up the interior. In this way, the water towers become a place of leisure, while still retaining their original function of creating a pressurized water system.

SENSATION The project aims to create an interior that not only helps to relax and rest, but also stimulates the senses in a number of miscellaneous ways:

GRADUAL LIGHTING introduces a sharp contrast to the otherwise dark interior of the water tower, which not only symbolizes giving the building a second life. This gradual change of lighting has its effect on users: while dim light gives a calming, intimate sensation on the lower floors, moving upstairs to the natural light tends to energize and refresh.

WARM STEAM is a classic element of any steam bath. The temperature generated in this way helps to open pores (making it easier to remove toxins) and moisturizes the skin. Additionally, the steam rising within the room plays a sensory role; it limits the depth and sharpness of vision, harmonizing with the darkness prevailing inside the tower. People inside have the sensation of moving in warm mist, which relaxes and calms them.

FALLING DROPS are the main visual sensation inside the tower. The steady, rhythmic visual noise created by the falling water droplets introduces movement into an otherwise static space.

The RAIN SENSATION is created by the impact of drops on the surface of the water in the cauldron, producing audiovisual impressions. The rain sensation is one of the most understood sources of relaxation as a natural example of white and pink noise, which muffles unpleasant sounds and stimulates alpha brain waves (active relaxation).