Örebro challenges our idea of water towers with a new design

Planned to be completed at the end of 2022, Lyra might become the new symbol of the city

The Swedish city of Örebro is building a new water reservoir, which is slated to take over the function from the old Svampen water tower in a drive to secure the water supply to what is a constantly growing municipality. It is now one year since the construction of the new facility, called Lyra, had begun and it is all going according to plan with completion envisaged for the autumn of 2022.

The authorities are even confident that thanks to its creative design it might turn into a new symbol of the city, which will be seen from afar. The design itself, which calls to mind an asymmetrical bread-basket, was decided in an architectural competition back in 2016. It was proposed by Lars Anfinset from Ett Ark Arkitektur.

This will secure the water supply at least until 2050

Many readers might only be vaguely familiar with what the exact purpose of water towers is. They are an intrinsic part of an urban water supply system as they provide and release pressure on the water circulating in the pipes. At night, when people use less water, the reservoirs are fuller and during the day the liquid they contain gets transferred into the pipes for consumption.

The proper walls of the reservoir will rise 18 meters and the cistern will be able to hold 15,000 cubic metres of water. However, there will also be an outer façade that is there to provide better aesthetic visuals, and this one will reach up to 35 metres in its highest point.

The Swedish municipality reported that 37 million litres of water are transported through the local pipes and sewers every single day in order to meet the needs of 140,000 inhabitants.