T H E W A T E R M O N U M E N T 2020
context research, visuals
Great blue concrete arches as far as the eye can see. A sun rises after a small monsoon has passed through the night. Where before streets were flooded, streets are now clean, drying in the sun. The Monument is worshipped by its citizens; for their plants are now not drowning but growing, their steps are dry without a fight, and animals that died come back to life.
The Water Monument is a researched-based conceptual design that evolves around the noticeable influences of climate change in The Netherlands. The monument is situated on the 1,9km,
old railroad track ‘The Hofbogen’ (National Monument 2002) in Rotterdam.
It functions as a rainwater storage and drainage system. Like the rest of the world, The Netherlands is also experiencing the rapid consequences of climate change. We have had the driest summer ever to date, which is accompanied by short periods of extreme rainfall. In built-up concrete cities, the drainage systems overflood. This causes huge devastation for national ecosystems.
The Water Monument is a researched-based conceptual design that evolves around the noticeable influences of climate change in The Netherlands. The monument is situated on the 1,9km,
old railroad track ‘The Hofbogen’ (National Monument 2002) in Rotterdam.
It functions as a rainwater storage and drainage system. Like the rest of the world, The Netherlands is also experiencing the rapid consequences of climate change. We have had the driest summer ever to date, which is accompanied by short periods of extreme rainfall. In built-up concrete cities, the drainage systems overflood. This causes huge devastation for national ecosystems.
The Water Monument is a tribute to ‘old Rotterdam’, but it is also a symbol; a nod to historic aqueducts; and a passage to a new beginning.
situated plan: google maps 'De Hofbogen' Rotterdam
situated plan visuals: google maps 'De Hofbogen' Rotterdam