Reconstruction of a Water Tower for Steam Engines
Abandoned Tower never sized to invoke nostalgia of citizens. In time it became a part of cultural heritage and its ground floor was turned into a bistro (probably without a license). Being only two meters away from railroad tracks in a place where only people who visit bistro linger every day – it is not a safe or pleasant place.
Our task was to find a way to bring the Tower back to life. The Tower was to become a place that welcomes people who arrive to the railroad station.
Bearing in mind all relative factors we concluded that the spatial configuration of the Tower brings a lot of contradiction to the task. It was too small and inappropriate for any self sufficient activity, and yet it was too big to be left out of consideration. Building an addition/ prosthesis that was bigger than itself was not an option. Also the proximity of railroad tracks rendered all the considerations of public activities even more complicated. Our solution was to make a container for the Tower. We have encapsulated it inside the 4m high wall that facilitates the support activities for which there is no space within the existing volume. By doing so, we made a small urban capsule that can operate in its surroundings. It has a small patio for gathering and interaction of visitors, it has café, shop or some other facility for such space and it has a Tower as a focal node and main spatial and functional attraction.
When looked upon from within the surrounding wall – the Tower preserves its proportion as well as its symbolical values.
Proposed activities were: Free climbing club; Cinema center; Night club.
Nikola Marinčić, Žarko Uzelac, Petar Bojović
Inđija, Serebia. 01. 09. 2008
