Down Periscope!, Donald Lipski, 2016

SERVICES PROVIDED: Design coordination, Materials research, Budget management, Engineering coordination and oversight, Fabricator bid process, Fabrication oversight, Lighting design development, Shipping, Installation services, Scheduling, Project close-out.

Adjacent to the Buffalo Bayou Park in Houston, TX is an abandoned, 87,500 square foot underground cistern that’s approximately the size of 1.5 football fields. We worked with artist Donald Lipski to create a periscope to look down into this amazing, underground space that was originally built in 1926 and served as a drinking water reservoir for the City of Houston for decades. The reservoir was decommissioned in 2007 after an irreparable leak was discovered and in 2010 as the Buffalo Bayou Partnership was developing the $58 million Buffalo Bayou Park project they “discovered” the site. Recognizing the historical and architectural significance of the highly unusual space, Buffalo Bayou Partnership with the City of Houston worked to take over the development and maintenance of the space. The periscope brings the historical significance of this space above ground for all to enjoy. Housed inside a jasmine-covered arbor shaped like crossing tubes, 10 feet in diameter, the periscope allows visitors to peer into the cistern by taking control of the camera within. It is viewable and controllable from online devices, as well as from the periscope itself. In 2016 The Buffalo Bayou Partnership launched its Cistern art program, which showcases bold, immersive art installations in this unique setting.

Check out the videos embedded below to learn more about the Cistern.

Select text and images courtesy of Donald Lipski. Select images courtesy of Jon Shapley and Roshan Moayed.