Industrial zones located on the outskirts of big cities regularly feature cooling towers; tall, open-topped, cylindrical concrete structures used for cooling water or condensing steam from industrial processes.
These bold, man-made structures are extremely overlooked in architecture. We are constantly aware of their presence, yet we classify them as dull and uninteresting. We ignore these monoliths, erase them from our thoughts. The fact that these structures are usually situated in prohibited areas contributes to that lack of conscious awareness.
The impressive interior view of a giant cooling tower scheduled for maintenance, France. /Reginald Van de Velde
But what if we got to see the interiors of these towers? Would we still find them unworthy of our consideration?
My name is Reginald Van de Velde. I am a Belgian architectural photographer and I explored the inner workings and mechanisms of cooling towers across Europe. On my camera I captured active ones, decommissioned ones, cooling towers on maintenance, and cooling towers slated for demolition.
Inside the belly of an active cooling tower: billions of water drops fall down while releasing heat to the environment. Belgium. /Reginald Van de Velde
I often think on how incredible it is to see so many of these massive plants closing down these days and how legislation in the European Union is a major reason for it. The EU endorses very strict rules to achieve climate change objectives, which have resulted in the closure of many coal-fired power plants throughout Europe.
Photography-wise, the closure of these plants is pure bliss for me, however. For the first time I can enter & explore them, document and admire them freely. The interiors of cooling towers yield astonishing vistas. Grand and impressive, I approach these magnificent objects as landscapes. I search for patterns, a sense of scale, repetition and disruption, and render my own landscapes within.
Winter Wonderland: snow particles piling up inside a defunct cooling tower in Belgium. /Reginald Van de Velde
One thing that I’ve learned through my travels which continues to fascinate me, is the fact that no two cooling towers are the same. Each and every one of them has a unique interior design and build. They may all look the same from the outside but with each visit to a new cooling tower I’m inevitably surprised by the difference, time and time again.
To see more of Reginald Van de Velde’s work, visit his website or follow him on Facebook and Instagram
(Images used with consent)
. digitalrev.com2016-10-7 03:00