Daily Dose 1838

Lluis Clotet & Ignacio Paricio Ansuategui

Daily Dose Monographic Images 1838 | Lluis Clotet & Ignacio Paricio Ansuategui – Les Aigues Library "The construction of Diposit de les Aigues dates back to 1874, built by Josep Fontsere, but it was not until 1880 when it was first used as a reservoir of water, with the purpose of regulating the flow of the waterfall in the park of Ciutadella as well as watering their gardens. The then young student of architecture, Antoni Gaudi made the structural calculations of the whole of the reservoir and its support elements. It was constructed following a classical Roman prototype, formed by 1-meter thick, 14-meters high brick walls, intersecting with vaults and extending 65 meters, as if it were the effect of a mirror, supporting the large tank on top. After one hundred years of different uses -old people's home, storage for the fire brigade, car park for the local police department, archive for the Court of Justice- it became property of the Pompeu Fabra University in 1992.The rehabilitation of the Water Tank started in 1993 by architects Lluis Clotet and Ignacio Paricio. Clotet and Paricio's respectful intervention using prefabricated elements for the intermediate floors allows for dismantling of the whole intervention if needed. These new levels favour the creation of very distinctive and diverse reading areas -ranging from spaces barely over 2 meters high to others over 12 meters high, under the vaults- allowing each person to choose their own space according to their needs." Daniele Ronca