'water tower skyscraper'

the conflict over water and land in sudan has created political unrest for decades.
however, in 2007, scientists from boston university discovered and underground
lake in the region of darfur, sudan. this lake is tenth biggest lake in the world (31, 000 m2)
and would have great potential in resolving the conflict if managed correctly.

addressing this water issue, polish architect hugon kowalski from H3AR architect and design
recently proposed a building that allows access to underground waters through the application
of water pumps. the form of the building was inspired by a water tower and also by the symbol
of the african savanna - the baobab. the building houses water pumps, a treatment plant but
also a hospital, a school and a food storage center. this building is meant to provoke economical development but also stimulate cultural exchange and the coexistence of the three different
religions and languages in sudan.

the design proposal was part of the 2010 skyscraper competition hosted by evolo magazine









the building walls are constructed using compressed dry stacked clay bricks, made on site
using a rough mixture of earth, cement and water. the bricks would be baked in the hot
sun, thus, requiring no extra energy and limiting the environmental impact of the materials.
the choice of using this technology represents the desire to introduce alternative and
sustainable technologies within a context that is tied to stardardized though not always
optimal building practice.


school housed with the skyscraper


'watertower skyscraper' model


'watertower skyscraper' model detail


'watertower skyscraper' model detail


'watertower skyscraper' model detail


aerial site plan of three towers, scale 1:1000


sectional view, scale 1:250


the space in each tower is dedicated to a different function ranging from water/ food, health and education


water treatment steps

two water circulation processes would be in place. first set of extracted water is meant
to heat or cool the building, and is accessible to the users. second, set of extracted water
is used for the building itself (i.e. kitchen, toilets).

fiona db 03.09.10

	Really interesting! once i did a kind of similar proposal in school and i got really bad critics! Now it feels that im not the only one that believes in towers in flat landscapes. ad 03.09.10

	I think that amazing mo 03.09.10

	very inspiring. darshi 03.10.10

	awesome dan 03.10.10

	H3AR congrats again! silisi 03.10.10

	This is a lot better design than the stupid 1st prize! Really inspiring! oasis 03.10.10

	I also think this is an amazing project! Especially when it creates a communal aspect inside the tower, like schools, etc. The basic materials used make it probably a good fit. san 03.10.10

	that's really great idea , congratulations ben 03.10.10

	this is good, not an artificial introduction of tall structures, but creating centres of monumentality as well as social change. Bringing it all together in one visual and literal centre makes sense. Pedro 03.10.10

	very cool renders matt 03.10.10

	this should win sally 03.11.10

	LOVE IT!!! Andre 03.11.10

	very inspiring, but not really functional and difficult to be engineered (as far as the renders show). francesco 03.11.10

	Stunning!!!!!!!!!!! john 03.11.10

	it should be built nika 03.11.10

	An interesting idea, but the dry stacked earth bricks will require something like a mortar to hold them together (!) Also - baking the earth bricks in the hot sun is misnoma, the bricks proposed are soil cement, and don't need baking to gain their strength. Nice ideas though. Paul 03.12.10

	its really a gud idea which people should start thinking that how they can merge kandscap eand architecture together to really achieve sustainabilty in nature and human lives vimal 03.13.10

	I love this . it's combine human matters and really good architecture Jack 03.13.10

	Similar to Kuwait's water towers. (1970s) http://images.travelpod.com/users/raniroo/dubai_days.1220535540.water-towers.jpg AYJ 03.14.10

	maybe because water towers was one of the inspiration? :) RJ 03.14.10

	very interesenting towers!!!!!!!!!! Rodrigo 03.14.10