Solution
Dry fountains
The jets leave the paving. With no tank in sight, the square remains a square when the water stops.
Introduction
Dry fountains are valued by architects and landscape designers for their versatility. There is no visible tank: the jets rise from the paving and the water drains to an underground reservoir.
When the fountain stops, the square is open for other use. The ground becomes ground again.
What sets them apart
They can include static free-water jets, programmable jets, misting, palms, foam jets, water walls and even mazes. The vocabulary fits in the same paving, without a basin in sight.
They are, as a rule, interactive: people and children enter the fountain area and touch the water. In summer, in hot sites, they occupy the space to play and get wet.
Where they belong
- SquareWater in the public floor. When it stops, the square is open for other use.
- BuildingAtrium or passage, without a tank closing the route.
- HotelIn the leisure area, the paving serves the water and, afterwards, the rest of the day.
- GardenThe same vocabulary, at the scale of the grounds, when the floor needs to stay free.
Example of this typeKhan Antoun BeyBeirute