M.O.W.

MUSEUM OF WATER
NOB HILL ON ROUTE 66

ALBUQUERQUE, NEW MEXICO

The purpose of this Museum is to increase awareness while entertaining the wonders of water. This Museum will provide a space for various people and organizations to come together over one focus, the importance of water.

The Museum of Water (MOW) will fit into the existing character of Nob Hill, one of Albuquerque’s most historic Neighborhoods. The building is one full block long, with roof line changes specific to preserving and harvesting water, various styles of hard surfaces are used, ranging from oversized cast-stone veneer to titanium curved panels.

12,000 Sf of Museum Space is divided into 3 temporary exhibits spaces, and 3 permanent water tank exhibits which encourages exciting social exchanges about water and its increasingly important place in our lives.

An additional 4,300 Sf of the building area is dedicated to retail space located at the southwest & southeast corners, which will accommodate 6 tenants. The storefronts feature floor-to-ceiling windows at 14 feet. The Museum will also feature a 3,750 Sf auditorium for multi-purpose use.

A single level parking garage of 14,500 Sf provides 40 off-street spaces, and16 on-street spaces, providing convenient parking for all visitors.

"After all, this is a world of rock and water and air. It is elemental. It is not ours."
- Janet Kauffman

WATER AND ITS IMPORTANCE

With two thirds of the earth's surface covered by water and the human body consisting of 75 percent of it, its evidently clear that water is one of the prime elements responsible for life on earth.

RESEARCH

Water has been used since antiquity as a symbol by which to express devotion and purity. Whole cities have been built by considering the location and availability of pure drinking water. Contrary to the past, our recent developed technological society has become indifferent to this miracle of life. Our natural heritage (rivers, seas and oceans) has been exploited, mistreated and contaminated. My research began focusing on current events, and I quickly realized this broke down into 3 separate levels of concern: national, local, and individual.

NATIONAL

A water borehole that is located near a community provides access to a clean water source and alleviates the need for women and children to spend hours collecting water. India is constructing 350 water reverse osmosis filtration purification kiosks in villages that lack access to clean water.

LOCAL

H2O organizations are an integral part to improvements on the local level. We must ask our congress to protect our water. These legislations are an important part in the fight against water pollution.

INDIVIDUAL

Simply by watering your yard before 9 a.m. and after 4 p.m. we can reduce evaporation and save about 750 gallons of water per month. If all U.S. households installed low-flow toilets and showers in each home, water use would decrease by 30%.

DIAGRAM (3 STAGES)

The overall composition is activated by a dynamic movement of space which, like water, can be broken down into 3 forms:
Solid, Liquid, and Gas.

1 - SOLID Ice is frozen water. When water freezes, its molecules move farther apart, making ice less dense than water. Water freezes at 0° Celsius, 32° Fahrenheit.

2 - LIQUID Is wet and fluid. This is the form of water with which we are most familiar.

3 - GAS When water reaches a boiling point, the water changes from a liquid to a gas or water vapor. As some of the water vapor cools, we see it as a small cloud called steam. At sea level, steam is formed at 100° Celsius, 212° Fahrenheit.

4 - COLLECTION I began the process by using double doors completely open to gather water. (abstract idea)

5 - FILTRATION The door swings then creates a funnel effect for various runoffs to occur, therefore the water can separate its liquid from the undissolved particles floating in it.

6 - VENTILATION The last step was creating a pendulum with the door swings in order to show the actual mechanical system used to circulate and replace air.

7 - SYMBOL

8 - FORMS + SYMBOL

9 - CONCEPT SKETCH

10 - SOUTH ELEVATION

11 - STRUCTURAL + PARKING AREA

12 - MUSEUM AREA + PARKING ROOF