During my travels I tough very often “but why didn’t I think about it ?!”Or even “Why isn’t it something that already exists all over the world?”. From bottle collectors in Germany to wish bracelets hanging from trees in Bulgaria and even cemeteries with colored flags in the woods in Tibet.
Needless to say, as soon as I discovered the existence of a building that rings when it rains, the first thing I thought was: why isn’t it in every city?
The BUILDING that PLAYS when it rains
#The building that plays when it rains
In Dresden there is a building that rings when it rains. It is called the Funnel Wall and is located inside the Kunsthofpassage. Literally “passage in the courtyard of art”, this student district has now become the most popular in the city.
This building has become a tourist attraction thanks to its ability to “play” the drops of water that rain from the sky, thus creating a magical spectacle.
The project was born thanks to the tenants of the building, Annette Paul, sculptor, and to the designers Cristopher Rossner and Andre Tempel, with the aim of making Dresden a cheerful and livable city, capable of attracting tourists for its union with art.
#How it works
The Funnel Wall was made according to the Rube Goldberg’s machine method which allows pipes to convert the sound of rain into melody.
A complicated system of drains, pipes, channels and metal cones is attached to the outside of a house with blue walls and when it rains the entire building becomes a musical instrument.
The gutters and pipes have been transformed into real instruments also in their shape as well as in the ability to transform the rain into a unique melody.
When the water begins to fall, these metal parts amplify the sound and the result is an original and out of the ordinary symphony, capable of leaving every person who crosses its path speechless.
The colors chosen to paint the facade are bright and recall the element of water. It is no coincidence that the entire building is blue and turquoise.
# The courtyard of the elements
The house is located in an area of Dresden that is part of an art project called Hof der Elemente (the courtyard of the elements).
The passage is made up of 5 wonderful courtyards known as the Courtyard of the Elements, the Courtyard of Metamorphoses, the Courtyard of the Mythical Creatures, the Courtyard of the Animals (with green walls and with giraffes and monkeys) and that of the Lights.
Each courtyard was designed by an artist and each has a specific theme.
The courtyard of lights, for example, is made up of a bright yellow building where there are metal mirrors that reflect the light according to the position of the sun.
# The new Dresden
Dresden is a unique city of its kind as it allows its inhabitants to experience two totally different areas.
Like many German cities in fact, it is divided into Altstadt (old city) and Neustadt (new city), and it is the new part of the city that is reinventing itself to offer its citizens a city that is alive, fresh and full of innovation in its simplicity. .
A building that, thanks to pipes, amplifies the sound of rain making it a melody is a simple yet so crazy idea.
And here my question returns: why isn’t there all over the world?
ARIANNA BOTTINI
