During heavy downpours, the sewer systems in many cities in the Netherlands are unable to drain all the water in time. As a result, the sewers overflow, causing numerous problems. This leads to large puddles on the streets, making it difficult for pedestrians to keep their feet dry as they navigate the city. Additionally, it causes damage to flooded basements and ground floors of homes, shops, and restaurants. Most importantly, it results in significant odor and health issues due to the sewage water being discharged into canals and rivers.
2006
client
Gemeente Rotterdam, Hoogheemraadschap van Schieland en Krimpenerwaard
programme
Rainwater storage
in cooperation with
Urban Affairs
VHP
VHP
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Water Squares
The Netherlands has a tradition of discharging rainwater underground via an extensive sewerage system. Despite having a number of visually-prominent canals, the Dutch city has relatively little surface water where the rain can be retained. And the sewerage system already has difficulty coping with the rainwater when it rains heavily. In the coming decades it will not only rain more frequently, but the downpours will also be more intense. These peak downpours create problems in the densely-populated urban area: the rainwater drains too slowly because of all the surfaced space. This is when the sewerage system becomes overloaded the streets become flooded, leading to difficulties and damage. This is why we are introducing a new type of rainwater storage: the water square.
Hold the water
In order to be able to collect peak downpours temporarily, areas in the public space are laid out in such a way that the flooding can be regulated. We call these areas water squares. Not a square in the traditional sense of the word, but a square as a central space in a water management collection unit, a collecting basin. Rainwater is collected and retained in this basin. From this basin it can either be gradually infiltrated into the groundwater or finally, at a later point in time, discharged via the existing sewerage system.
In order to be able to collect peak downpours temporarily, areas in the public space are laid out in such a way that the flooding can be regulated. We call these areas water squares. Not a square in the traditional sense of the word, but a square as a central space in a water management collection unit, a collecting basin. Rainwater is collected and retained in this basin. From this basin it can either be gradually infiltrated into the groundwater or finally, at a later point in time, discharged via the existing sewerage system.
Nice places to be
The water square is dry for the great majority of the time and then it is used like any other public space in the city. After a heavy downpour the form and the use of the water square are transformed. This means that, when designing a water square, the main focus is on its use and recreational value in a dry state. The elements that are necessary for the water storage are, wherever possible, deployed to create an attractive recreational area.
The water square is dry for the great majority of the time and then it is used like any other public space in the city. After a heavy downpour the form and the use of the water square are transformed. This means that, when designing a water square, the main focus is on its use and recreational value in a dry state. The elements that are necessary for the water storage are, wherever possible, deployed to create an attractive recreational area.
