Case Study · Office · Wynwood, Miami
A wall of moving water
From a bare concrete shell to a full-length water wall, step by step.
- System
- Glass water wall with recirculating basin
- Setting
- Office reception, Wynwood, Miami
- Scope
- Structure, waterproofing, basin, glass, lighting
- Timeline
- June 2022 – February 2023
Water as the first impression
The brief was a single, continuous surface of moving water running the length of the reception wall, the first thing anyone sees stepping off the elevator.
A water wall this size is mostly invisible engineering: structure, waterproofing, a recirculating basin and lighting, all hidden behind glass. This is how it came together.
01 · The shell
June 2022
We started in a bare concrete shell with fresh steel framing, walking the space with the builders to plan where the wall would go and how water, power and drainage would reach it.
02 · Laying it out
August 2022
Every line was set with a laser before anything went up: a wall of falling water shows the slightest error, so the layout has to be exact.
03 · The backing
August 2022
Solid timber backing was fixed across the wall to carry the weight of the panels and glass, with every member checked for level and plumb.
04 · Basin and frame
October 2022
The black basin that collects and recirculates the water was set along the base of the wall, with the frame built up around it.
05 · Waterproofing everything
Oct – Nov 2022
Behind the glass, the whole wall was sealed and waterproofed. It is the least glamorous step and the one that matters most.
06 · The glass
November 2022
The textured glass panels went in, set into the frame so the joints read as quiet lines across the wall.
07 · First light
November 2022
With the lighting on, the wall started to glow. Then the water was switched on and tuned until it ran evenly across every panel.
08 · Finished
Jan – Feb 2023
The finished wall runs the length of the reception, a constantly moving surface of light and water behind the front desk.
