In the course of the International Building Exhibition Emscher Park (IBA), a subject of debate was not only the conversion of some of the halls, but also the ecological concept of the future Landscape Park Duisburg Nord, and water was to play a major role in this concept.
The architects Latz + Partner developed the water park which now consists of the old River Emscher, subdivided into five main sections: Klarwasserkanal (Clear Water Canal), the Emschergraben (Dyke), the Emscherrinne (Channel), the Emscherschlucht (Gorge) and the Emscherbach (Stream).
In an ingenious system of water collection, rain water is fed into the Old Emscher: by means of the interplay of barrages and water shoots it’s possible to collect rainwater and feed it in after a time delay so that, even in lengthy dry spells, water can be supplied to the Old Emscher to replenish the oxygen levels