The project was born after the need for requalification of the Pump-House building situated in Klaine der A, Groningen. Since 1872 the building always had a public utility, first as a sewerage system than as a Pump-house for firefighters.
Water is always been present and with "the beauty of Groningen " this building will once more pump it directly from the canal, to produce perfumes and beauty products using only locally harvested botanicals.
I had to preserve the historic facade and I also decided to reintroduce again the old chimney, used to evacuate steam, that will now function as an access staircase for flat n°2 and as a ventilation system connected to the distillery, it will also spread the fragrance across the neighborhood.
In the perfume distillery laboratory, the old fuses present on site from the former transformer station will be collocated inside glass cases. They will function as a base of support for the copper pot stills, remaining as a symbol of the past of the building.
The Living part of the building is connected with the concept of beauty, there are open and bright spaces with organic, feminine shapes that recall the sinuosity of water.
In this project I designed two multifunctional staircases, one will host the retail counter and one will be used as a sofa in the living space.
