A CONSCIOUS TOMORROW: A refuge for life: water, birds and mammals

A water reservoir that is also a ‘tree’ for birds and mammals. Located in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, in a forest north-east of Luxembourg City, this project bears the signature of the Madrid-based, Spanish studio Temperaturas Extremas Arquitectos + Adelino Magalhães Asociados.

Its presence in the oak and maple forest is remarkable. At the same time, it blends harmoniously with the natural surroundings. This is the new Bird and Mammal Shelter and Water Reservoir in Luxembourg, promoted by the city council and designed by Temperaturas Extremas (Andrés Cánovas, Nicolás Maruri and Atxu Amann) + Adelino Magalhães.

During their migrations, peregrine falcons and swifts have a new shelter located in a forest in the Natura 2000 network in central Europe. Initially, the building was conceived as a water infrastructure: a 1,000 m³, 50 metres high reservoir to be located in a protected forest clearing, next to the neighbouring Kirchberg district in Luxembourg. However, during the development of the project, its designers introduced the possibility of converting the tower into a refuge for birds and mammals, which was then incorporated into the final design. “This is the first water tower to incorporate a system that was studied from the perspectives of architecture, ornithology and botany. It must provide a real solution for the shelters and nests of different species and make them compatible with each other”, a spokesperson at Temperaturas Extremas Arquitectos explains.

Its design is based on the verticality of the towers, adding a circular floor plan that makes it blend into the forest. In fact, the authors of the project started from a premise: to turn the infrastructure ‘into another tree in the forest’. To lighten its visual impact, it is divided into two distinct volumes. One cylinder is made of rough prefabricated concrete and seeks to blend in with the textures of the forest. This first cylinder houses nests for birds, such as swallows and peregrine falcons, with suitable orientations and heights.

The second volume is clad with untreated larch wood slats and cork. It features displaced fragments and forms a permeable skin that can be colonised by vegetation, as well as providing shelters for bats. "This project is an opportunity to understand that it is possible to build architecture that is extremely respectful of the environment. We are at a time when architecture is presented to us as ‘more than human’," say Temperaturas Extremas Arquitectos.

The wooden slats and cork promote thermal efficiency. Sustainability and the use of resources guide the project. For water collection and management, the vegetation cover absorbs rainwater, filtering it into the nearby surrounding lagoon, reducing the impact of surface runoff and optimising water management. Likewise, the exterior paving and access area are made of compacted earth to facilitate the absorption and filtration of water into the natural soil.

“This approach”, the architects point out, “makes the infrastructure an active player in the ecosystem, not only preventing the degradation of the environment, but also enriching it.” With the Bird and Mammal Shelter and Water Reservoir project, they want to redefine the concept of infrastructure by demonstrating that a technical building can become a tool for ecological regeneration. It not only addresses water management efficiency, but also sets a new standard for sustainable infrastructure, where architecture and nature coexist in balance. “In short”, they conclude, "a strictly contextual project is being built that moves hand in hand with nature. It leaves a replicable legacy for future interventions in protected environments, demonstrating that architecture can be a bridge between technology and biodiversity."

Although water towers are a type of infrastructure that has existed since ancient times, the modern use of water towers for public pressurised water systems was developed in the 19th century. At that time, and during the turn of the century, their architecture stood out for its ornamental style linked to the great boom in the applied arts of ceramics. Later, water towers flaunted their own engineering. Until now, when the entente between water, as a source of life, and infrastructure that promotes environmental conservation and the biodiversity of animal and plant life has come to the fore.

Winner of one of the CSCAE 2025 Architecture Awards, in the New Bauhaus Award category, the jury highlights the Bird and Mammal Shelter and Water Depot in Luxembourg as the conception of a work ‘from the uniqueness of the architectural element, ensuring adequate coexistence, respect and integration with the natural environment. With a striking design that blends into the forest and promotes biodiversity, it demonstrates that architecture can be, at the same time, a support, a sculpture and a refuge for life.’ Organised by the CSCAE, the Consejo Superior de los Colegios de Arquitectos de España (Higher Council of Architects' Associations of Spain), these awards focus on the role of architecture in responding to the great challenges of our time. They also highlight the commitment of its authors to the common good and sustainability from a triple social, economic and environmental dimension. In this, innovation, inclusion and quality in design are combined as pillars of the New European Bauhaus.