Water Temple
Infrastructure of the Periphery
Richmond, NSW
Brief
Students were asked to design a monumental building that absorbs its immediate context and organises it into a crystalized architectural form; from one of five peripheral areas of greater Sydney. These temples of the periphery were to avoid a strictly functionalist approach, and focus on its façade to create infrastructure that is accessible to the public by mediating technical and social aspects.
The task of this particular studio was to design a water treatment plant that would clean the water from the Hawkesbury River for the citizens of Richmond.
Proposal
By using nature as a mentor, and biotechnology as a driver, the Water Temple of Richmond is able to efficiently and sustainably act as infrastructure that is beautiful, approachable, and interactive. By integrating the filtration system within the façade, the viewer is able to see firsthand how the system functions; allowing for an educational experience that is both informative and gratifying.
Axonometric structural section of module connection
Water filtration process
Once the water has been pumped to site, mixed with coagulants and passed through the sedimentation basin, the water is sent through the filtration cycle. Here, the water is pumped to the top of the building in the north facing façade, where reinforced concrete modules (which were chosen as a method of flood mitigation) use their tapered structure to house filtration systems.
These filtration systems, which are in the form of staggered fibre glass pots, hold expanded clay aggregate and glass foam gravel to physically filter the sediments out of the water that flows through them - thanks to gravity. These pots are also connected via a sliding mechanism, so that they can easily slide in and out to re- pot plants and undertake maintenance. Common sedges found around the wetlands of the Nepean river, such as the sphacelata and juntas root, are planted in the façade.
Once the water has reached the bottom of the north facing facade, it is then pumped to the top of the south facing facade to undergo the activated carbon filtration process. By utilising the structure of the module once more, its open and funneled design is able to support a water tank that contains activated carbon chips to eliminate the colour, odour and unpleasant taste of the water.
Section of north facing module / Plant filtration system & Section of south facing module / Carbon filtration system
Mock-up of concrete module @ 1:50 / Laminated timber & Site model @ 1:250 / Timber & acrylic
Level 3 - A place to appreciate the final result of the water treatment process that was inspired by the immediate context