City Waterfalls

Artificial waterfalls have always accompanied the evolution of the sense of beauty in history. Present since ancient times in traditional Japanese gardens, in Europe the ancient Romans had already designed Marmore Falls in 271 BC.

In the late 19th and early 20th century, the famous waterfall in the Viktoriapark in Berlin was opened. In 1896, the Huntington Falls in Golden Gate Park in San Francisco. In short, the allure of water falling from the highest peaks is irresistible and examples multiply even under seemingly incredible conditions. The current architecture is no exception, with an eye to the urban setting.

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LIEBEN SKYSCRAPER
GUIYANG, China

With its 108 meters of falls, it is to all intents and purposes, the highest artificial waterfall in the world. Not surprisingly, it is in China, specifically in Guiyang, which instantly converted it into a tourist attraction.

Managed and designed by Guizhou Ludiya Property Management Co, the waterfall falls from the Liebien skyscraper and is only activated on special days and for no more than 20 minutes.

The reason is intuitive, in an era of sustainability: in addition to water, which however has a limited waste, since it is uses rain water and recycled tap water and is inserted in a continuous cycle, there is the cost of electricity to operate the whole mechanism, since to bring water back to the top of the skyscraper requires four pumps of 185 kilowatts.

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INTERNATIONAL CENTER
Detroit, USA

For several years it has held the Guinness World Record for the highest indoor waterfall in the world, thanks to its 34.75 meters of falling water. It's located at Detroit's International Center in the lobby of an eight-story building: water spills from the top floor where the Grand Ball Room, the party room, is located and flows over an immense wall of nearly 900 square feet of marble.

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JEWEL CHANGI AIRPORT
Singapore

In April 2019, it took the scepter away from Detroit: the world's tallest indoor waterfall is now in Singapore. The water falls 40 meters from the dome of Jewel Airport and is called HSBC Rain Vortex, because it creates a circular water flow, thanks to a sophisticated engineering design. The water from the roof falls to the basement, where the reservoir is located, and is then pumped back around the perimeter of the building to the oculus of the vault, where the cycle repeats.
The 45 thousand gallons of water per minute involved in the waterfall's cycle are rainwater, plus the flow of fresh air created by them saves air conditioning.

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TRUMP TOWER
New York, USA

We'll leave the description directly to the former president's dedicated communications department.
"In 1979, Mr. Trump purchased the existing eleven-story property from Genesco with the goal of constructing the first super-luxury high rise property in New York to include high–end retail shops, office space and residential condominiums. Famed architect Der Scutt was selected to translate Mr. Trump's vision into a dramatic, angular design covered by a singular glass curtain wall with a series of planted outdoor terraces anchoring the lower floors. An extraordinary five story atrium was created for the retail space, featuring a spectacular 60-foot high waterfall alongside the eastern wall, spanned by a dramatic suspended walkway. On opening day the five levels of retail shops, galleries and restaurants quickly became New York's most exclusive shopping destination.”

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LOTTE DEPARTMENT STORE
Busan, South Korea

The Lotte Department Store (Gwangbok Branch), Korea's first waterfront department store, stands in Jungang-dong, Jung-gu, where the former Busan City Hall used to be. The Water Fountain is located in this large shopping complex and cultural space. Actually, despite the name, it is a waterfall that falls from the ceiling and lends itself to a series of water and light games, accompanied by very loud music. Real shows, keeping mall shoppers' Instagram profiles happy.

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CLOUD FOREST AT GARDENS BY THE BAY
Singapore

It is one of the most impressive attractions in Singapore. The glass dome similar to a giant greenhouse that stands miles away originates one of the indoor waterfalls, which at 35 meters, is among the highest in the world. Admittedly, it's perhaps less impressive here, because the setting is just as giant and, after all, we're inside a park resort dedicated to the rainforest where the distinctive Supertrees, 25- to 50-foot-tall vertical gardens that collect rainwater, generate solar power, and serve as vents for the park's conservatories. In short, the waterfall here is not the first thing that catches your eye.