A sawtooth spiral of weathered-steel panels raises the impeller blades at this pumping station in Denmark, designed by local firm GinnerupArkitekter.
Located in front of Svendborg harbour, the wastewater pumping station was designed by GinnerupArkitekter as a working space for the new public square.
It aims to show how utilitarian buildings “can contribute to the physical and social life of the port”, the studio said.
While the pumps themselves sit eight meters underground, the above-ground structure houses technical equipment, public toilets and a rooftop terrace for the nearby community.
“The visible structure in the harbor is like the tip of an iceberg,” colleague Jens Erik Rasmussen told Dezeen.
“With its sculptural form and functional clarity, the building is a modern piece of architecture that invites community interaction while contributing significantly to the visual and social life of the port.”
The sawtooth of the cylindrical structure was chosen to refer to the pump’s impeller – a type of rotating rotor – with a cool climate of brown, orange and gray tones that also draw the maritime and industrial context of the nearby port.
Doors and entrances are hidden inside these weatherproof panels, allowing direct access to both public areas, such as toilets, and technical areas.
“The choice of Corten steel for the facade shows the desire to use beautiful, durable, and industrial materials that are already common in port areas,” said Rasmussen.
“Its red color also goes well with the port’s historic red brick buildings.”
“The facade refers to the blades of the pump, which creates a visible sense of movement and thus establishes a story about the hidden function of the building,” said Rasmussen.
Wrapping up one side of the building are stairs accompanied by an elevator that leads up to the rooftop terrace, where a curved, stacked timber deck sits beneath a circular steel frame with built-in lighting to illuminate the terrace after dark.
The local municipality served as a client for this rooftop terrace, which provides visitors with information about the far-sighted South Funen Archipelago, which was designated as a UNESCO Global Geopark in 2024.
According to GinnerupArkitekter, the pumping station also includes a heat recovery system, capable of providing heat to more than 200 homes.
Other pumping stations recently featured on Dezeen include Kew Pumping Station in London by Hugh Broughton Architects, hidden by a screen of interlocking larch slats, and Johnson Naylor’s conversion of a world war two pumping station into a holiday home on the Dungeness coast.
Photography by Jacob Due and GinnerupArkitekter unless otherwise noted.