Art Portfolio Two: Seville World Exhibition in Spain (Waterwall) research

 Today, I'm starting to create my final design sketch, and for better understanding how to design a waterwall,  I decided to look at a waterwall (see image below) that was made for the Seville World Exhibition in Spain(1992) and called Avenue Five. This exhibition was presented 2 times, first in 1992 and second in 1995. It was supposed to be large projects that were presented at the same time as the Olympic games, according to Baker(1992). The topic of the project was "discovery", which was chosen because "The three hundred meter long, ribbon-like configuration is conceived as a site-specific experience, celebrating the topography of the Guadalquivir River and its history as a route to the sea for 15th Century nautical explorers."( Site,2022). The exhibition was popular because of the decoration and architecture that was created, and a lot of famous people and sportsmen visited it. A big budget was spent, according to the FINAL REPORT UNITED STATES PAVILION SEVILLE EXPO’92

Avenue Five Central Plaza and Water Buildings - Seville World Expo 92 - Seville, Spain-1992-Main section of water wall at night.

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The waterwall is 65 metres wide and 13 metres high and was made in honour of the Guadalquivir River. After the exhibition closed, it became a centrepiece of Columbus Park. The waterwall cower monorail train, a central station, several leisure gardens, three restaurants and two kiosks. This wall works very effectively. The architect Nicholas Grimshaw, with Ove Arup as engineers, used all the facilities that this design could provide. Seville has a very warm climate and water walls that cool it. On the roof places small gardens that work ass cooling system because of the shade that it create and groung that d not alowed for heat go thought and heat the building roof. However, the elevated gardens' irrigation system works because of the static electricity generated, which creates a water flow over the glass (Wines, 2000, p.112)

Nicholas Grimshaw and Ove Arup's idea to use water flow as an engine to grow plants that will work as shade is clever. This saves money for facilities; furthermore, it works as green architecture. This project gives me the idea to do the same thing, but instead of a garden, direct energy from water flow to produce light for my Fashion Outlet. I am not sure if it will produce enough electricity for all outlets; however, if it will be enough even for 1 floor, it will save a lot of money. According to the US Department of Energy (2024), it's possible to convert kinetic energy from water flow to electrical energy; the most comfortable and proven method is to use a turbine under the pool with water. However, using basic school physics knowledge, it is possible to understand that this amount of energy needs a large amount of water, a building height for a good pressure to make turbines spin fast, and a good generator so it can convert mechanical energy to electricity. It is also possible to use a micro-hydro generator, but this is more risky, and the water flow should be consistent. Overall, I think this idea is very suitable in our 21st-century reality of technology and green ecology.

Reference: 

Baker, Mr. Nicholas. “Expo ’92 (Seville) (Hansard, 16 December 1992).” Parliament.uk, 1992, api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/commons/1992/dec/16/expo-92-seville?utm-source=chatgpt.com. Accessed 25 Apr. 2025.

Pye, William. “Water Wall - William Pye Water Sculpture.” William Pye Water Sculpture, 2025, www.williampye.com/works/water-wall?utm_source=chatgpt.com. Accessed 25 Apr. 2025.

T I T?T’\ FINAL REPORT UNITED STATES PAVILION SEVILLE EXPO’92. 1996.

Avenue Five — SITE. “SITE.” SITE, 2022, sitenewyork.com/portfolio-1/project-one-7tnzy-llznb-83lxp-6xw4p-726sh-k86c6-hpckn-gd6a2-cpn9h. Accessed 25 Apr. 2025.

Wines, James, and Philip Jodidio. Green Architecture. Köln ; New York, Taschen, 2000.

US Department Of Energy. “Hydropower Basics.” Energy.gov, Office of Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy, 2024, www.energy.gov/eere/water/hydropower-basics. Accessed 25 Apr. 2025.

US Department of Energy. “How Hydropower Works.” Energy.gov, US Department of Energy, 2024, www.energy.gov/eere/water/how-hydropower-works. Accessed 25 Apr. 2025.