Watersquares

A water square is an urban feature that's effectively a kind of plaza or square that's designed to be submerged in the event of heavy rainfall. By collecting this water, the water square prevents flooding in the city. In dry weather, the space can be used by residents for sports or cultural events.

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Watersquare Benthemplein, Rotterdam

The first water square was built in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, in 2013. The Benthemplein square can collect up to 1.7 million liters of water, the equivalent of an Olympic swimming pool. In dry weather, it is used by Rotterdam residents to play basketball and skateboard. There is also an amphitheater.

Marco Vermeulen:

In order to be able to collect peak downpours temporarily, areas in the public space are laid out in such a way that the flooding can be regulated. We call these areas water squares. Not a square in the traditional sense of the word, but a square as a central space in a water management collection unit, a collecting basin. Rainwater is collected and retained in this basin. From this basin it can either be gradually infiltrated into the groundwater or finally, at a later point in time, discharged via the existing sewerage system. The water square is dry for the great majority of the time and then it is used like any other public space in the city. After a heavy downpour the form and the use of the water square are transformed. This means that, when designing a water square, the main focus is on its use and recreational value in a dry state. The elements that are necessary for the water storage are, wherever possible, deployed to create an attractive recreational area.

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