A seemingly banal lift station is transformed into a beautiful architectural detail through the addition of a water jet steel cornice. Rather than make the lift station simply recede further from view, the station broadcasts his valued use to its community. The cornice is comprised of patterns derived from water, as well as other imagery, that will cast shadows along the walls throughout the day. These constantly changing shapes will change hour to hour, day to day, to create an ever-changing artistic display. At night, eight LED lights cast patterns on the slump walls in the dark.
Through the necessity for greater security of the water station, the 2’-8” cornice also provides added height to protect the equipment located within. The cornice shape will bend outward, making a perfect shape for a security fence, but also transform the slump block wall into a visually strong architectural image that will continually change throughout the day as the sun moves.
In order to create the imagery that occupies the space between the water patterns, we met with the community members and surveyed them on how they personally relate to water in a desert setting. From these responses, we designed images that paired desert life with aquatic life. The community gave their enthusiastic blessing at a subsequent meeting.
