Living in a water tower: dilapidated storage tank turned into a very special house | My Guide

Family and friends were shocked when Dennis Pedersen told them he had bought a second home for just £20,000. Their surprise only increased when it turned out that it was not a house, but an old water tower. It stood in the middle of the fields and in that idyllic setting Pedersen could already see himself coming to rest. But before that happened, a mountain of work had to be done first.

Just obtaining a permit proved not to be easy, even though the tower was in bad shape and was in ruins. With the help of architect Mike Tonkin it worked anyway. He drew a design that used the existing construction as a basis, with an extension with a wooden tower.

Each space has a specific relationship with the environment. In the north, an all-glass section has been created that looks away from the village, but interacts with nature. The living room with open kitchen was housed in the former storage tank. The rusty cast iron of the walls gives it a special appearance. Original elements are also visible elsewhere.

For example, the pieces cut from the tank to create a slot window were used to create a patio. Tie rods now serve as stair railings. Recovery materials were also first sought for new additions. The bedrooms are actually boxes made of cross laminated timber (CLT), wood consisting of cross-glued slats. In this way, the construction retains its basic look of yesteryear.

The project has been included in a book full of reconversions: from steel factory to office, from department store to hotel, from lingerie studio to home, … ‘Building for Change, The Architecture of Creative Reuse’ has 256 pages, costs 50 euros and is published by Gestalts. You can order here.