Architectural analysis and valuation of the historic tank facility

The water facility consists of 10 water tanks and 20 drop towers and was listed in 1999. The reason for the listing is the architectural and cultural heritage values of the plant, designed by architect Ib Lunding, which will be continued in the modernized reservoir systems. Each of the reservoir system’s decaying- and ventilation towershas small circular windows placed irregularly in the concrete cap and each of them illustrates a constellation. The individual buildings thus have its own architectural expression in the form of decoration in an otherwise robust and technical installation. HOFOR, in cooperation with the Ministry of Culture, has chosen one of the three solutions proposed by Gottlieb Paludan Architects, which preserves the security of supply and part of the listed building stock. The solution allows for the modernization of one half of the reservoir in order that HOFOR can store water safely in the future and in accordance with today's requirements for the storage of drinking water. In order to modernize the existing reservoir, it is necessary to add an upper level to the northernmost plateau for regular inspection of the covered reservoirs and to add smaller structures in the form of level accesses located in the grassed slopes. For the proposed solution to continue the high architectural value of a modernized facility, materials and details must reflect the architectural language already used. The new building bodies should be designed with a focus on high detailing and using materials that mirror the existing detailed solutions. Material choices should be made with an eye towards a patination and robustness that speaks to the existing buildings in character and surface.