gippsland water factory vortex center mimics a maelstrom

‘gippsland water factory vortex center’ by designInc, maryvale, victoria, australia
image © reflections photography
all images courtesy of designInc

the gippsland water factory vortex center by australian practice designInc combines education, industry, and an architectural aesthetic into a single cohesive structure. representing the often cyclical and fluid movement of water down a pipe, the building houses offices, laboratories and an interpretive experience making it a one of a kind water recycling plant. the curved plan features progressively smaller round sections that house different programmatic elements, making the sequence of spaces a journey of discovery. the structure, as well as the contents, aim to raise awareness amongst the public of the issues surrounding water conservation. the structure is built over an artificial lake that delivers cooling to the building together with other passive environmental measures. due to the stable temperature of the lake, the building delivers a very low energy summer outcome. cool water from the bottom of the lake is passed through heat exchangers, delivering cool air into the interior. at night, the lake water is pumped over the roof to be cooled for use during the day. during the winter, waste heat from a bio-gas powered co-generation system will be used to heat the interior. the combination of these design principles ensures the vortex is a low user of natural gas and power from the electricity grid.

elevation view of the circular sections
image © reflections photography

view from off site
image © reflections photography

structure is supported over a shallow reflecting pool
image © reflections photography

image © reflections photography

entry view
image © reflections photography

entrance
image © reflections photography

public interior
image © reflections photography

perforated skin detail
image © reflections photography

laboratory space
image © reflections photography

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project info:

client:    gippsland water
cost at completion of construction:    $5m
gross floor area (m2):    650m2
cost per square metre:    $7,700m2
type of building contract:    lump sum tender (delivered under an alliance)
practice team:    john macdonald – project director, mick pearce – project architect, wilson heng – cad architect
consultant team:    umow lai – services engineering & esd modelling, winward structures – structural engineering, davis langdon – quantity surveying, plp – building surveying, pico – interpretive experience design, ch2m hill – interpretive experience envisioning, gippsland water factory alliance – project management
construction team:    kane constructions