MVRVTP065.1
Water was one of the crucial elements of the pavilion as a laboratory and a living system. It always stood centrally as one of the key factors shaping the Dutch landscape. Staring its flow from above, water would literally rain down the building, supplying the plans with water, and seeping down to a swamp on the ground floor where it would be purified and pumped back up to the roof using the energy generated by the windmills.
Was it not for the 1999 outbreak of legionellosis in the Netherlands–a serious disease caused by bacteria found in freshwater environments–water would likely have circulated through the building. With over 300 infections and 32 casualties among attendees to a large flower festival, the event made a major impact on the decision-makers making them reluctant to support the ambitious plans for the Expo 2000 pavilion as an actual living system.
Even though conceptually water flow stayed central to the pavilion’s architecture, its realization remained only symbolic. It was reflected in materials such as the steel mesh covering the façade of the Rain Room that represented the missing rain.
Sources:
conceptrealization.doc, BESCHRIJVING.doc, MVRDV Buildings