Max Schoeneich
Water-plant Chlus. RWTH Aachen (Germany)
Water-plant Chlus
The conceptional focus of my water-plant construction is based on the idea that the installation should functionally be recognized as a machine with all operations visible to everyone. The different buildings are connected with a band – the base. Aboveground they are only covered by an all weather shell. The water-plant is in the focus of the observer – all other structural works are reduced in appearance.
The installation is to be experienced in its technique and its operating sequence. In the design, process parameters, such as capacity, height and hydraulic thrust, were the most significant.
The localisation of the water plant is defined by the last water catchment in Küblis, the position of the landquart and the smallest distance between surge chamber and the power house at the foot of the mountain.
The alignment of the plant is the result of the minimization of sources of error. The construction is parallel to the aboveground waterpipe. The straight-lined run of the pipe between plant and power house helps avoid irregularities in the aquifer system.
The shape of the power house is defined by the travelling bridge, needed to change the turbines. Its appearance is optimized in form - triangular instead of the common rectangular frame. The power of 10 kN/m² at a height of fall of 245 m is confronted with a massive building at its end. The powerhouse itself is clearly defined by its starting point – the water input, and its end – a massive bumper.
The installation becomes an object of attention, an electro-optical sensation: the flow of water can be tracked from the surge chamber to the power input in the grid.
The visitor can observe all this by walking around and through the plant. He can observe where the water comes from, how it is lead, used and transformed.
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