Hydroelectric Power Station in Kempten by Becker Architekten

In the 1950s, the River Iller was dammed where it passes through the ancient city of Kempten in Bavaria in order to provide electricity to the local area. Recently, a new, more efficient plant was commissioned, but the historic context of the site – including a former textile mill – demanded a more sophisticated architectural treatment than is usually accorded such projects, isolated as they are from urban settlements. In response, the architects developed a scheme that expresses the dynamic flow of the water in board-formed concrete. The low-lying structure, which ducks out of the way of the older buildings, also incorporates an extant steel bridge across the river.