Gallery: Sneaky Water Reservoir in Swi...
You might not be able to tell from some angles, but the City of Basel in Switzerland reconstructed one of their water reservoirs to lie discreetly amidst a popular urban park. Rather than swallow up the Bruderholz site with their gargantuan reservoir, Berrel Berrel Kräutler buried the bulk of it underground. The top floor is completely integrated into the landscape such that both the steps leading up to the entrance and the roof are covered in turf. Combined with a shimmering facade, this sneaky renovation encourages park visitors to linger a while.
Beyond the looks, I like how this idea maintains play space above it, wow using what would be wasted underground space.
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What a wonderful idea! I’ll bet, in keeping with the Alpine genius Switzerland is known for, this resevoir can be drained and easily converted into an underground field hospital for use in a national defense emergency.
Carry On!
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Denver has one, just north of Congress Park, that is covered by soccer fields.