Most retention facilities do not typically inspire visits, but our design incorporates CSO retention facility with a public park where visitors can learn about water purification and conservation with educational tours. Our design is inspired by the natural flow of water that fuses architecture with landscape. The water smoothly flows down from the top to the bottom while accentuating the circulation for human. The water connects all the necessary programs within the building and flows out to embrace the proposed landscape.
Stormwater runs naturally across the site and the roof and is filtered and cleaned through the four different landscapes, each inspired by the internal working of the water treatment processes below: rapid mix, air flotation, granular activated carbon filtration and a clear well. Landscaping rather than pipes circulate the stormwater into the treatment plant.
The park, a natural wetland and sprinkler playground, provides local residents a recreational venue. The center is designed to educate the public about producing clear water, protecting riparian resources, and encouraging sustainable wetland stewardship. The CSO retention facility exemplifies the possibilities of integrating industrial facilities with the community center and the natural environment in a way that establishes links between mechanical and natural process, both of which are essential to sustaining life.