Simon Christiansen & Associates, of Temperaturas Extremas Arquitectos in Spain, have won a competition organised by the Ville de Luxembourg for the conception and construction of a new water tower in Kirchberg.

The contest was launched as part of an urban plan from the Kirchberg Fund and a feasibility study for the Water Department of Luxembourg City. The competition aimed to find the right design for a water tower that would supply the northeast area of Kirchberg, which is currently supplied from the tank in Senningerberg, as well as hospitals in Kirchberg.

The competition was set out in three different phases, the preliminary one involving the selection procedure for architects to form a "Architect + Engineer" group with the view to developing a preliminary design. Architects were selected according to their skill, experience and reliability to assess their qualification for the project. Engineers were then chosen to complete the groups according to the proposal from angineers from each architect selected in the first phase.

Overall, 39 teams applied, 5 were selected to develop a project and 5 delivered said project.

After groups were determined, the architect and engineer entered a mission design and implementation contract with the project client. The procedure was based on a preliminary design and this phase was kept anonymous.

Simon Christiansen & Associates were announced the winners, followed by a.m. Mycon with Greisch and Luxconsult who took second prize and Ney & Partners with Jean Kenkel and Felgen & Associates Engineering.

The jury, composed of various architecture and engineering specialists, praised the winners for creating a project that fits into the forest context and envisions a structure and identity for the area that it does not yet have. They jury also appreciated work on a wooden casing which will offer homes to birds and bats.

The water tower, to be constructed in the district of Kiem in a Natura 2000 protected area, will have a reservoir comprised of two, 500 m3 tanks or two tanks with a capacity of 400 m3 and 600 m3. It will reach around 50 metres into the air.

Construction is due to start in 2017 and is expected to be completed in 2019, with a total cost estimated by the Contracting Authority at €5 million, excluding the fees of the architect and the engineer and the connection work on existing pipelines and networks.

Top photo by VDL/Marc Wilwert. Bottom photos by Temperaturas Extremas Arquitectos (Espagne) / Simon-Christiansen & Associés