Rīgas pilsētas ūdenstorņu arhitektūra 19. un 20. gs. mija Eiropas arhitektūras kontekstā
Riga’s Turn of the Century Water Tower Architecture in the European Context

Summary/Abstract: In the 19th century European cities faced water supply problems caused by industrialisation and urbanisation; in most cities, including Riga, much attention was paid to the issue in the late 19th - early 20th century when the majority of water towers were constructed. Water towers represent a typical 19th century phenomenon; it was quite short-lived in the history of architecture but notable for the manifold architectonic and stylistic solutions. Riga’s municipality supplied the city inhabitants with pure drinking water before the First World War, constructing two ground-water lines from Bukulti and four water towers in total: two water towers in the Moscow Suburb in the late 19th century (1897-1899) and two early 20th century water towers - in Āgenskalns (1909-1910) and in Čiekurkalns (1912-1913). Both of these functioned throughout the 20th century and are still standing today. The tanks of all four Riga’s late 19th - early 20th century water towers are built according to Intze type 2; in addition, Otto Intze himself designed the water tower for the Moscow Suburb. As the water tower was a relatively new type of building, there were no architectural standards and this lack of examples was compensated for by drawing parallels with the surrounding buildings or other historical types of constructions, according to Historicist practice. Also in the late 19th century water tower façades most often conformed to Historicist stylistics but the rational spatial structure - the highly raised water tank - did show more and more in the building’s outer appearance. During the period of Art Nouveau, water towers acquired new architectonic solutions and more abstract forms; new constructive and artistic means became widespread, such as simplifying, rounding and softening of forms, introduction of new materials and constructions, and demonstration of these on the façade. Forms reflected the building’s functional, constructive framework that was aestheticised as well.

• Details
• Contents