Designed by a team from the design collective GUN Arquitectos, the Water Cathedral is a stunning outdoor installation that features an overhang of eye-catching vertical elements.These vertical components, which are done in varying lengths and shapes and seem suspended in the air, are meant to mimic the stalactites hanging from cave interiors. Indeed, the ground of the Water Cathedral also features rising, pointed elements that look like a cave’s stalagmites. While these “stalactites” and “stalagmites” provide an intriguing aesthetic to the space, they were actually designed to function as a cooling mechanism for visitors. Water is drawn from a hydraulic irrigation network to fill them, and when they’re filled, the water will drip down in droplets to cool the people below.
