One of the oldest pumping stations of the Milan Aqueduct became the first facility focused on water supply, its history, protection and values
Submitted at Dec 26, 2018, 10:00 AM
The company MM, which has been running Milan's Water Service since 2003, has transformed its former site into a grand memorial to the city's water. One of the oldest pumping stations of the Milan Aqueduct – designed at the end of the 19th century by engineer Franco Minorini and put into operation in 1906 – it became the first facility entirely focused on public water supply, its history, protection and values. MM has opened the waterworks to the public with Milan Waterworks . Full of history, it provides an overview of the dedicated work of thousands of professionals, who have become familiar with the most important resource on the planet, a multifunctional place full of experiences. A open space to learn about the city's hydraulic system, enjoy interactive workshops, participate in debates and training courses, read and be informed about the quality of the water that comes out of the city's taps. 
The concept was designed by FUD and DEGW, both brands of the Lombardini22 Group. As a result, the union of two main axes: the architecture of the hydraulic system and the water element itself. This generated a liquid, transparent, Milanese, technological and connected image. . A concept in which the states of water – solid, liquid, gas – are visualized in graphics and transformed into three distinct patterns. Each one represents an aspect of the new installation: Architecture, Aqueduct, Digital. The meeting of architecture and water generated the new color scheme, which combines various shades of blue with the reds of the bricks, the most striking feature of the facade of the old hydraulic system. 
The Main Hall is the heart of the former facility: it is where you can “feel and see” Milan’s water supply as it flows by. In the former water pump room, 3D displays allow visitors to learn about how the waterworks system works. originally operated. The existing architecture is enhanced by designer accessories, while giant projections on the central wall display underwater images. A gallery leads to a space with a variety of content: historical, photographic, paper and also digital 
The Multipurpose Area hosts events, municipal meetings, conferences, shows and workshops, thanks to the flexibility with which this area was designed, being able to reproduce totally different scenarios according to the occasion. The walls are covered with graphics that determine the quality of the water and analyses of its values and characteristics. A new area on the mezzanine will house temporary installations and exhibitions, where transparency will provide perfect views of the area below it and the pump room. The Virtual Reality area of the space is the most gaseous (digital) part of the new waterworks system, whose technology amazes visitors, who become fully immersed in a virtual experience. Milan Waterworks is the designers' interpretation of what a modern waterworks installation would be like, rooted in the culture and daily life of all the city's inhabitants. A beautiful, practical and engaging place that also awakens people's awareness and informs them, ready to contribute to future developments. 
