Lavabo / Table

„Water as a living element“

Water is a precious resource. It enriches our lives and sustains all of life. At the same time it is a force of nature bringing destruction and chaos.

In the heart of the Jura, we found a place where people have to deal with these different conditions of water on a daily basis. The village of St Ursanne is plagued by flooding every two years by the River Doubs. This is due to the geology of the area: the large amount of rainfall does not get captured in the ground which is mostly comprised of limestone.

Water is a complex ecosystem. According to Gernot and Hartmut Böhme, this complexity is best described within the framework of the four natural elements. In this understanding, water is something that is alive and with a will of its own, retaining some of its ritual quality.However, Today water is mostly treated as a technical apparatus, separated from our sensual experiences.

Behind every Lavabo, there is a large technical infrastructure with a territorial scale. These infrastructures are energy intensive and are prone to leaks into the environment. The Lavabo is formed by two elements which enable an in and outflow of water, its function is to provide a clean stream of water for washing. The space in which water can be experienced is defined by the delta H. This space is mostly no more than 20cm in height.

From the 142 liters the average swiss person uses per day, only two are consumed by drinking. The rest has the potential for a local reuse. By thinking about a circular system for our water treatment, we seek to reintegrate water back into our daily lives as a sensual experience on all levels.

The Table is formed by a horizontal platform and a supportsystem, usually for legs. When placed in a surrounding, a table defines a space and a scale. The Table can further be set and arranged to accommodate different forms of living and can host different activities. It creates different situations: around, underneath and on top of each table. Because of this, the table is the center of living in most cultures. A place where we not only eat, but live your lives.

A table is also a strongly anthropomorphic object. It is ruled by a set of human proportions connected to the human body. In this way, a table is related to the lavabo. Both are about the proportional relationship of one horizontal plane to another. An overlap can create a table situation, water flowing from one plane to the other can create a lavabo or a shower.

With our project we want to create a new form of sensoric living with water and address the situation in St Ursanne, by not only bring in a new water cleaning system but also a solution for the flooding. Basins in front of the old village give more space to the river and retain part of the flood. A new landscape emerges, characterized by the changing conditions of the watertable.