The old Bagsværd Waterworks has been replaced by a new, up-to-date plant. Gottlieb Paludan Architects was engaged to ensure that with its location in a park-like residential area in the middle of Bagsværd, the works would get expert architectural treatment, meeting the demands and expectations of both authorities and residents living in the area.

These challenges have prompted an entirely new approach to building a waterworks, as the plant has been integrated into the surrounding residential area in several ways. There is no fencing around the new installation and the area surrounding the waterworks visually forms part of the residential area, as there is free access right up to the structure’s transparent façades. The path system of the residential area continues on to the land of the waterworks where new paths have been added. The local residents have been involved in the development of the plant and have also had a say in the planting surrounding the waterworks, so it forms a cohesive whole with the green open space adjacent to their homes.

The works has Kolumba brick façades which interacts well with the red-brick homes nearby, and the gable-end glass façades symbolize transparency and provide the opportunity for passers-by to catch a glimpse of the technology tucked away inside. The roof of the installation, which is visible from the surrounding apartment blocks, is covered in sedum. The new waterworks supplies 160 m³ water per hour and it is established as a closed system with the latest carbon-filtration technology.

Photos: Gottlieb Paludan Architects