The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power's headquarters is inscribed by a new-age water element that is part triumphalist fountain, medieval barrier, and demo of contemporary sustainability pastiche.
Aesthetically the fountain's excessive geysers and moat are a symbol of LADWP's, and its famous director William Mulholland's, triumph over the natural environment; "There it is. Take it."
The moat, like its medieval predecessors, surrounds the building, standing between the DWP and its would-be interlopers. A single drawbridge-like path traverses the water. A uniformed gatekeeper awaits at an outdoor desk on the other side.
Functionally, the shallow lake serves as a heat-sink for the building's air conditioning system, and along with the solar panels shielding the sunken employee parking, are a demonstration of LADWP's commitment to sustainable ecology.
<< DWP Owens Valley Desert Landscape | GrandAvenueGardenTour | Walt Disney Concert Hall Garden >>