Wastewater Plants Move From Buried Infrastructure to Civic Architecture

Five modern wastewater treatment facilities showcase the transformation of sanitary engineering from an unseen service to a prominent public structure. The Abbey Mills pumping station in London, designed by Joseph Bazalgette and Charles Driver, was completed in 1868 and boasted twin chimneys exceeding sixty meters in height before its demolition in 1941. The European Commission took Ireland to the Court of Justice regarding untreated wastewater in thirty-eight areas, including Arklow, resulting in a 139 million euro treatment plant. Clancy Moore Architects designed the Arklow facility with an emphasis on visible processes and a solar roof. In Hillerød, Henning Larsen developed Solrødgård, which processes 15,000 cubic meters daily under a turf roof. MMAA's Levanto plant near Cinque Terre incorporates local stone, while AWP upgraded a 1970s facility in Évry to increase its capacity. NODE Architecture designed Shenzhen's Honghu Park facility.