The customer, the Technical Facilities Kaiserslautern (TWK), is really a modern, medium-sized public utilities company, certainly one of about 900 in Germany. Due to this the TWK is within a continuing procedure for innovation and professionalization. Furthermore, the TWK expects to become a transparent and open participant of society. The urgently needed restoration from the water purification plant “Rote Hohl” offered a great chance to openly show the aspired professionalism, innovation and energy towards sustainability.
The Pfaelzer forest offers local people and site visitors towards the region attractive possibilities for daytrips. Aside from the primary attraction, the forest itself, other touristic points of interest range from the Biosphere House in Fischbach and also the House for Sustainability in Trippstadt. These houses lead towards the awareness for that atmosphere and our natural assets. Water plant “Rote Hohl” will give you the location with water also following the restoration and improving. Because the “House of Water” your building will give you information services to selected target groups about water, water collection, purification and distribution. Home of Water also provides space for displays, training courses and occasions.
The mixture water purification and knowledge services concerning the natural resource water is logical, but additionally poses challenging. Water plant “Rote Hohl” occupies a vital position within the regional water distribution network. Public use of a location, that plays a vital role within the way to obtain stay hydrated towards the city Kaiserslautern and it is bigger surroundings 24 hrs each day seven days per week, one year annually isn't always easy. Ultimately people expect and have to have a guaranteed way to obtain h2o. Both the requirement for security along with a guaranteed, reliable product grew to become a crucial part from the technical and architectonical brief for that project.
The exterior appearance from the building must fulfill both conditions of security and express the brand new public purpose of your building adequately. Within the existing creating a spatially acceptable solution couldn't be located. The present building was enlarged having a single entrance space along with a large awning. The silhouette from the new building continues to be stored low to be able to secure viewing forest. In the finish from the access road the big awning offers welcoming defense against wind and rain. An easy gray uncovered concrete wall signals the doorway. A brand new wall, a steel structure fully clad with folded aluminum, is positioned while watching existing building. The chosen color is very dark. The wall emits a closed impression and connotes security.
On one side this color stresses the obvious form, alternatively your building blends in to the atmosphere from the forest. Seen from inside the façade works out to become perforated and seems transparent. Only close to the entrance the present building continues to be visible. This wall is colored vibrant grass eco-friendly and becomes extra time from the adjacent slope: home of Water is rooted in the surroundings. During the night the perforations from the wall become visible around the outdoors and also the building fires up its surroundings. Like red-colored eyed titans camera masts stand guard over this vibrant twinkling object. Although reserved throughout your day, home of Water seems open during the night and produces a safe and secure, magical space within the darkness from the forest.
Throughout the technical planning from the installation by ARCADIS Consult some existing spaces grew to become redundant, and therefore available. In early stages the TWK recognized the potential for one of these simple spaces. Molter Designers suggested an idea which didn't only think about this single space, but additionally triggered all adjacent spaces. Crux from the concept would be to relate the initially closed-off spaces to each other. Flow of motion becomes possible through new vertical and horizontal structural perforations. The technical areas of the particular water plant will also be attached to the public area via a technical blue, large steel casing. Doorways, initially placed flush, are put much deeper in to the spaces. The hierarchy of spaces changes, new kinds of use promote themselves. This effectively constituted the transformation from the water purification plant towards the “House of Water”. Custom furniture and platforms offer various use. They may be either be utilized for normal seating in order to display exhibition objects wide.
Architecture has almost completely lost her critical capacity. Architecture has a tendency to restrict itself to self-referential subjects like form or construction, or politically correct subjects like sustainability or even the atmosphere. Architectural styles like security and safety most likely will be a more fitting type of contextuality. However, built (concrete, fences) or high-tech (electronics) safety measures are incompetent at addressing the social requirement for mental security. The project “House of Water” conveys security with signs of architecture and therefore produces the pre-conditions for merging the general public works (stay hydrated supply) and also the public domain: appropriate architecture for uncertain occasions.
