Europuddle, Reflecting pool at Gustav-Gull-Platz, Switzerland

Europuddle is a shallow water installation with multiple jets that create ripples across its surface, designed to look like a giant puddle in the middle of the plaza. The water reaches only about 20 centimeters (8 inches) in depth and is framed by a white stone edge.

This water feature was built by Swiss Federal Railways in 2019 as part of the development of the Europaallee district in central Zurich. The project marked a significant transformation of a former railway area into a modern urban space.

The name is a portmanteau of Europaallee and the English word "puddle", chosen for the shallow sheet of water's resemblance to a puddle. When the seven jets run, the splashing creates wavelets that break the mirror surface and produce a sound the sources call a "sound carpet". The Gustav-Gull-Platz square is framed by the tall residential and commercial buildings of the Europaallee development.

The water lies on Gustav-Gull-Platz, sloping gently from the tarmac up to the raised white stone edge on one side, so the shallowest part is at that kerb. Seven jets sit along the western edge and fire eastward; when they run, spray and ripples cross the surface, and when they stop the water turns into a mirror. Overflow drains through circular metal grilles around the perimeter and slots beneath the white slabs, so the installation recycles most of its water in a closed circuit.

The Europuddle sits on Gustav-Gull-Platz, a square named after Gustav Gull, the architect of Zurich's 1901 Landesmuseum. The site belongs to the Swiss Federal Railways, which built the Europaallee district on former railway land; the wider architectural project cost 140 million Swiss francs. Excess water drains through circular metal grilles around the pool and slots beneath the white stone slabs, so the installation runs on a closed circuit.