Réservoir de Lavardens

Constructed in 1926, the Lavardens water tank piques curiosity with its 221 poles resembling a forest of concrete, giving the building its very particular shape. The structure, made of concrete and bricks with a vegetated roof, has a capacity of 11,000 liters and is still one of Bordeaux’s largest water supplies. At the time of its construction, the Lavardens water tank was a revolutionary technology that brought water for the first time to the upper levels of houses.

For Adrien Marquet, then-mayor of Bordeaux, this infrastructure was just part of the solution to the rise of the city’s need for water. He also decided that from that time, the current water distribution would be chargeable, which led to the installation of the first individual consumption meters.

Nowadays, the building is still standing in the middle of the grapevines of the famous Bordeaux wine Haut-Brion, making it a great spot for photographers with its perspectives and the contrast with the classical style of the wine estate buildings.