A Trademark in Exposed Concrete: Water Tower by Paul Bretz Architectes

The Luxembourgish town of Dippach does not have its own water supply plant. Rather, its water is provided by the Syndicat des Eaux du Sud. Until recently, water pressure in the town’s water tower and earth reservoir was regulated by a pressure-boosting system in one of Dippach’s residential districts. However, increases to the population over the past few years meant that the water volume was no longer sufficient. The new container for drinking water has fundamentally reconceived the supply of potable water for the community.

The need to connect an earth reservoir and a raised tank that would lie about 20 metres above the reservoir led to a simple yet unusual form. The new water tower consists of three massive rectangles planned specifically for their function. The structure, which stands in an exposed location, has become the town’s new trademark. Its distinctive impression is created by its precise proportions: repeated use of a single shell-plate format of 1.50 x 3.00 metres. The architects paid particular attention to the exact production of these shell elements. Paul Bretz has also covered the entire roof surface with concrete plates to make the sculptural shape of the water tower just as effective when seen from above.