A Water Tower to Call Home

[Lunican]

In Germany, a Water Tower to Call Home

JOACHIMSTHAL, GERMANY â€" On a bike ride almost a decade ago, Richard Hurding, a product designer, spied what would later become an unlikely home â€" a derelict water tower, perched on a hill surrounded by trees.







Full Article:
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/09/greathomesanddestinations/09gh-location.html

[Dog Walker]

What a fantastic conversion, but are you sure it was a water tower?



Perhaps it was a WWII German Flak tower.

[Jason]

What an amazing home!  Plus, built-in exercize having to go from floor to floor.

[Ocklawaha]

What a fantastic conversion, but are you sure it was a water tower?



Perhaps it was a WWII German Flak tower.

You mean Flug-Abwehr-Kanonerie... FLAK

OCKLAWAHA

[Dog Walker]

I guess it makes sense for both a water tower or a FLAK tower to be on top of a hill.

[Keith-N-Jax]

Looks nice and very creative idea.

[Overstreet]

I suspect the tower next to it has an elevator in it.

The idea of taking the dead space below the bowl of a water tank has been done before. Some municiple offices have fit under the tank. But this is the first tank conversion I've seen. It would be interesting seeing their insulation plans. Steel walls don't make for "warm" structures.

[JSquared]

I suspect the tower next to it has an elevator in it.

The idea of taking the dead space below the bowl of a water tank has been done before. Some municiple offices have fit under the tank. But this is the first tank conversion I've seen. It would be interesting seeing their insulation plans. Steel walls don't make for "warm" structures.

It does. Paraphrasing the article, the people living in the tower agreed to make it a tourist destination in order to sweeten the deal for the town, which owns the land and granted a 99-year lease to the occupants.  The adjoining tower is for an elevator so that the observation deck on the main house is wheelchair-accessible for visitors.

[Jason]

Overstreet, per the article, the steel tank was completely and painstakingly removed from the structure.  All that is left is brickwork and concrete. 

[Timkin]

That is nuts !!!  Really cool home.. I like my dome alot.  but um... I want one of those