Pump station at the Turfsingel, Modernist pump station at Turfsingel, Groningen, Netherlands
The pump station at Turfsingel is a functional facility with a rectangular concrete frame, extensive glass panels, and a sloping roof carried by slender columns. The structure houses equipment for managing water drainage in the surrounding residential area.
The station was built in 1953 during the post-war reconstruction of the Netherlands, when damaged infrastructure required systematic rebuilding. It was part of a national program that constructed more than a hundred similar facilities by 1967.
The structure reflects the architectural vision of Willem Marinus Dudok, who incorporated modernist principles into public utility buildings throughout the Netherlands.
The facility is located along Turfsingel street and is visible from public areas, though interior access is not typically available. You can observe the building's design and structure from the surrounding street.
The building originally combined pump operations with a transformer station, a practical solution that brought different utilities together into one structure. This dual-purpose design was typical of efficiency-focused infrastructure planning in that era.
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