The Water Museum as seen by Javier Mariscal
Discover the Water Museum through the illustrations of Javier Mariscal.
Mariscal (Valencia 1950) started out as a cartoonist and furniture designer. A multitalented artist, he rose to international fame after creating the character of Cobi, the mascot for the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona, his adopted city since he was twenty years old. In 1999, he was awarded the Spanish National Design Prize.
Facade of the Museu de les Aigües by Javier MariscalMuseu de les Aigües
Central Cornellà
The Water Museum is located in the Central Cornellà de Aigües de Barcelona, a water plant constructed 1909 to store and pump water that is still working today. This unusual detail is characteristic of this unique museum.
Facade of the Museu de les Aigües by Javier MariscalMuseu de les Aigües
The Garden
Since it was first built, the Central has been surrounded by a garden that brings a touch of nature to this industrial space, where both natural and mechanical elements live side by side.
In the industrial garden, the Himalayan cedar trees reach up to the 50 metre tall chimney that reigns over the Central courtyard, symbolic of the Baix Llobregat region.
Fives lille by Javier MariscalMuseu de les Aigües
Fives Lille
The Fives Lille is the most emblematic water tank in Central Cornellà. It was built from 1905 to 1907 to raise water from the aquifer from the Llobregat river, a large body of underground water that stretched for 110 km2 and could supply the entire metropolitan region.
Electricity room by Javier MariscalMuseu de les Aigües
The Electricity Room
For the water pumps to work, a supply of electrical energy was essential. The four generators conserved today in the Water Museum were driven by steam power.
Circular tank by Javier MariscalMuseu de les Aigües
Circular Tank
Today, the Ágora is a multi-use space. It was set up in 2004 in what was an old water tank constructed in 1953 to store water from the Llobregat river. Once collected, the water was then propelled directly to the distribution network.
Noteworthy for its circular shape, the roof was made through the traditional Catalan vault method for making an arched ceiling, also known as la boveda catalana.
Gaudí's waterfall by Javier MariscalMuseu de les Aigües
Gaudí Waterfall
Antoni Gaudí designed this waterfall for the Casa Vicens in Gràcia, Barcelona in 1883. It had a decorative function, in addition to providing the garden of the modernist house with a certain freshness.
With this spectacular waterfall, the architect was able to imitate the unique sound of falling water, one of nature's most distinctive sounds.
Illustrations by Javier Mariscal for the Water Museum.
