Overview
A temporary architectural intervention at the Mies van der Rohe Barcelona Pavilion aimed to illustrate the quantity of water lost through evaporation from the pavilion’s pool. The installation, which featured twelve elevated tanks and a temporary aqueduct, visually represented an estimated 12,000 liters of water, corresponding to the amount believed to evaporate over a 14-day period.
Research Context
The project specifically focused on the Mies van der Rohe Barcelona Pavilion, a known architectural landmark. The central theme of the visualization was water loss, quantified as an estimated 12,000 liters. This volume was attributed to evaporation from the pavilion's pool over a duration of 14 days.
Approach
The approach involved constructing an installation comprising twelve elevated tanks. These tanks were connected by a temporary aqueduct. The purpose of this physical setup was to make tangible and observable the estimated water volume. The aqueduct system facilitated a visual demonstration of the water, implying a process or flow that conveyed the concept of loss.
Findings
The installation presented a direct visual representation of 12,000 liters of water. This specific volume was correlated with the estimated evaporative loss from the Barcelona Pavilion's pool over a period of 14 days. The use of twelve tanks and a dripping aqueduct served as a method to trace this water loss, transforming an abstract environmental process into a concrete, observable display.
Why This Matters
This visualization matters because it provides a tangible representation of water loss through evaporation from an architectural feature. By making the estimated 12,000 liters of water and the 14-day period explicit through physical structures like elevated tanks and an aqueduct, the installation transformed an otherwise invisible environmental phenomenon into a perceptible experience within a notable architectural context.