Hasta La Ideas

Here are some images of a water tower in Spain by Madrid studio GRG Arquitectos, which bears an uncanny resemblance to the female form. 

Two water tanks, each with a 40m³ capacity, sit atop a two-legged steel structure to form the 22-metre water storage tower, which supplies an entire town without the need for pumps.

A wooden platform sits right at the top of the structure and provides access for maintenance.

Photographs are by Lluís Casals.

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The following information is from GRG Arquitectos:

WATER STORAGE IN GUIJO DE CORIA, CÁCERES

The amphora is a ceramic container of great size with two handles, narrowing to a point at one end. An object much used by the Greeks and Romans for keeping solid and liquid foodstuffs, it was decorated with black figures. During the Panathenaic festivals, amphoras full of oil were given to the victorious athletes. This was not only a container but also an ancient measure of volume equivalent to 26.21 liters.

What would be the scale, the material, the form, and the fashion in which to construct this grand “amphora” of the 21st century? We needed to design a water tower with a height of 22 m to supply the entire town with water without needing pumps, as well as a way to go up to the tank for maintenance. Our primary objective was to develop a clear form with nothing gratuitous in concrete for an elevated tank of 50 m³ high and a buried tank of 150 m³. This new form would become, together with the church bell tower, the only towers in the town.

We wanted to create in the proposed landscape a road which connected the two highest points. We then started to think about making a divided tank of already-existing elements. Our point of de parture had to be studying those tanks that we were accustomed to seeing on reservoir trucks, on which there is always a notification of what they contain and their volumetric capacity. In addition, at that time a hydraulic study was done and it was determined that the buried tank was of a size that an elevated tank of 80 m³ capacity was needed.

Why not divide the tank into prefabricated units? We worked to find the best form for a structure that could reach 22 m of height and also support the weight of two tanks, each of 40 m³ capacity. We had at the moment two materials that defined the new water tower; the galvanized steel that would form the structure and the stainless steel that would make up the exterior finish of the two tanks.

We chose wood to form the stairs and platform necessary for the maintenance of the water tower, the platform for the valves, and the bed underneath these two elements. We completed and gave the project form in this way.

Project Data

Architects: Ignacio Mendaro Corsini, Ignacio Isasi Zaragozá, Blanca Rosa Gutiérrez Rodríguez
Location: Guijo de Coria. Cáceres. Spain.
Type of project: Infrastructure

Client: Regional Public Works Ministry. Autonomous Government of Extremadura, Spain.
Awarding date: 2007
Start on site date: August, 2009
Contract duration: Twelve months

Total cost: 600.000 € (VAT included)
Main contractor: Andiajoa S.L.
Metalworker: Carpintería y aluminio Hervás, S.L.
Selected subcontractors and suppliers: Lacoex

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